Coronavirus pandemic | Manipur police books several people for criticising govt's handling of COVID-19 outbreak

Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar's son was booked early April for "spreading false information."

Moneycontrol News

April 29, 2020 / 06:27 PM IST

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Public criticism of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak has landed many in trouble in Manipur. Official records show that police has invoked sections of the Disaster Management Act (DMA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) to press charges against them, reported The Indian Express.

More than 10 cases, including three relating to sedition, were filed in Imphal West alone. Manipur Police invoked DMA against Yumnam Devjit, who allegedly sent out a voice message requesting people to defy Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for lights-out. Subsequently, Devajit’s father and Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar was stripped of all portfolios.

K. Meghachandra, Imphal West Superintendent of Police, said a case was filed against Devjit "for spreading false information."

“We do not object to criticism but if the comments and opinion have the potential to incite communal hatred or mislead the masses, that is not a good sign. We are very selective while dealing with such cases. The police department does not pick people randomly,” Meghachandra said, adding that in Imphal West, there are over 10 cases under the DMA and at least three cases have sections of sedition.

Two activists of the Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights were charged under sections of the DMA and the IPC after the organisation issued a press note questioning the location of a proposed quarantine facility by the Manipur government. The two activists were released on bonds later.

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