Imphal | April 27 : National Investigation Agency (NIA) today raided the office of a printing press that prints Ereibak, an Imphal based vernacular daily. The printer is owned by Lamyanba Publication Trust from Lampok complex at Palace Compound in Imphal on the charge on alleged link with the proscribed United National Liberation Front (UNLF).
The raid that began at 9:50 am was led by NIA superintendent of police Shyam Prakash Pani under the provision of section 100(6) or 165 of Criminal Procedure Code after producing the warrant before the employees of the Trust. He was accompanied by three other junior officers of NIA along with CRPF troopers and personnel of Imphal West police. The day-long raid that ended at 4:30 pm seized several documents from the office of the printing press office. Media persons were kept out of bounds during the raid.
Manager of the printing press, T Mangi, who was present at the office, said after the raid that the motive behind the raid by sleuths of NIA appeared to be to know the partners of the publication and its accounts. One inquiring question that was raised by NIA even as the raid was being conducted was: is the press run and sponsored by UNLF?
The investigation team reportedly broke opened two almirahs and drawers of the receptionist. The room was later found to be strewn with papers and documents all across the office of the Trust. A search list handed over to the office of the publication stated that list of property seized from the raid which included, inter alia, audit papers of 2007-11, papers issuing ISBN numbers, certificate of registration, meeting notices, a copy of gift deed and a 500 GB harddisk (HD).
Reliable sources said that similar raids may persist into the future. Apparently, three raids were conducted today by the NIA in two separate places in Wangkhei area besides Lamyanba Publication Trust at Palace Compound. The NIA sleuths reportedly arrived in Imphal last Monday for the raid in connection with the arrest of RK Meghan aka Sanayaima, chairman of UNLF.
The raid that began at 9:50 am was led by NIA superintendent of police Shyam Prakash Pani under the provision of section 100(6) or 165 of Criminal Procedure Code after producing the warrant before the employees of the Trust. He was accompanied by three other junior officers of NIA along with CRPF troopers and personnel of Imphal West police. The day-long raid that ended at 4:30 pm seized several documents from the office of the printing press office. Media persons were kept out of bounds during the raid.
Manager of the printing press, T Mangi, who was present at the office, said after the raid that the motive behind the raid by sleuths of NIA appeared to be to know the partners of the publication and its accounts. One inquiring question that was raised by NIA even as the raid was being conducted was: is the press run and sponsored by UNLF?
The investigation team reportedly broke opened two almirahs and drawers of the receptionist. The room was later found to be strewn with papers and documents all across the office of the Trust. A search list handed over to the office of the publication stated that list of property seized from the raid which included, inter alia, audit papers of 2007-11, papers issuing ISBN numbers, certificate of registration, meeting notices, a copy of gift deed and a 500 GB harddisk (HD).
Reliable sources said that similar raids may persist into the future. Apparently, three raids were conducted today by the NIA in two separate places in Wangkhei area besides Lamyanba Publication Trust at Palace Compound. The NIA sleuths reportedly arrived in Imphal last Monday for the raid in connection with the arrest of RK Meghan aka Sanayaima, chairman of UNLF.
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