Manipur: Political activist booked for sedition over ‘objectionable’ Facebook post

Convenor of Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) and the political activist from Manipur Erendro Leichombam has been booked with a sedition case over his ‘objectionable remarks’ on social media against newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP from Manipur Leishemba Sanajaoba.

The case has been registered at the Porompat police station in Imphal (East). Leichombam has been booked under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 124(A) (sedition) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code, said Jogeshchandra Haobijam, Superintendent of Police, Imphal East district.

On July 24^th, 2020, Leichombam had posted a picture of MP Sanajaoba Leishemba and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Facebook under the caption - ‘Minai macha’ (‘Son of a Servant’).

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In the image, Leishemba, who is also the titular king of Manipur, is seen bowing before Shah with folded hands in a gesture of gratitude.

“How does calling someone ‘servant’ fall under sedition? They are now going through all of my previous posts for legal justifications. I am afraid they will do the same to me - what they had done with Manipur TV journalist Kishore Chandra Wangkhem. He was in jail for almost a year,” said Leichombam.

Wangkhem was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) for social media posts criticising the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a video uploaded on Facebook, Wangkhem had reportedly called Chief Minister N Biren Singh “a puppet of PM Modi” - for celebrating Rani Laxmibai’s birth anniversary.

He was first arrested in November last year and released in six days only to be sent to prison under NSA two days later. He was released in April last year after completing a one-year jail term.

A day after Leichombam’s Facebook post “went viral”, a team from Manipur Police landed at the activist’s residence in Thangmeiband, Imphal West, on Sunday midnight.

“They came to our house and asked for Erendro. They also said it would be good if my brother takes down the post,” said Leichombam’s younger brother Sikendra.

Later, Leichombam again took to Facebook and wrote: “I have been charged with sedition by the Government for exercising my Freedom of Speech. To protect Kangleipak from a forceful assimilation is a duty. i will not stop writing. You can't gag all your critics. Some of us still love our homeland. You can imprison my body, but how will you imprison my mind?”

In a subsequent post, he wrote, “MK Gandhi, Tilak, Arundhati Roy & Hijam Irabot. Today, I proudly join them. Sedition 124(a) is a colonial law. Biren Singhji is a puppet of Hindutva colonialism.”

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