Thounaojam Brinda, Manipur Police Service (MPS) officer in her affidavit submitted before the Manipur High Court on Monday alleged that the Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh pressurised her to release drug lord Zhou.
Brinda who is former Additional Superintendent of Police, Narcotic and Affairs of Border (NAB) submitted her affidavit in connection with a suo motu criminal contempt case registered by the High Court against her and others following comments on a Facebook post by the officer.
In the Facebook post, the officer had allegedly undermined and criticised the court for granting three weeks bail to the accused drug kingpin in a 2018 drugs smuggling case.
As per the report by The Indian Express, the prime accused in the case, Lhukhosei Zou, was considered drug lord in the state and was also a local BJP leader in Chandel district, according to Brinda’s affidavit.
In the affidavit, she said after an operation commanded by her, the Manipur Police arrested Zou on June 19, 2018, along with seven others and seized 4.5 kg of heroin powder, 2,80,200 ''world is yours'' tablets, Rs 57,18,000 cash, Rs 95,000 old currency notes and several other incriminating articles.
She further stated in the affidavit that a state BJP functionary visited her and said that the Biren Singh was extremely furious over her defiance to release Zou, who is close to the chief minister's wife, and told her to let him go.
Meanwhile, the chief minister N Biren Singh has denied the allegations against him.
Talking to the media on the sidelines of a function, Biren Singh said his government would not spare anybody found indulging in drugs and narcotics trade.
Meanwhile, the Congress in Manipur on July 15 demanded a CBI probe into the case related to Chief Minister N Biren Singh allegedly pressurising a lady police officer to release an arrested drug kingpin and also sought his resignation on moral grounds.
At a press conference held here, President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) M Okendro Singh and Okram Ibobi Singh, leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP), demanded that the case be handed over to the central investigating agency.
MPCC president said it is a very serious matter that the chief minister has pressurised the lady police officer to withdraw the case against drug lord Lukhosei Zou from whom a large amount of heroin and "world is yours" tablets were seized as revealed by the police officer.
Ibobi Singh said the case should not be handled by the Manipur Police who were trying to withdraw it.
"It should be handed over to an independent agency like the CBI to find out the facts of the case. For that matter the state cabinet should take a decision that the case of Lhukhosei Zou be handed over to the CBI," Ibobi Singh said.
"If the state cabinet can not take the decision, the chief minister should resign on moral grounds immediately," he added.
As per the Indian Express report, the lady cop was in news for her appointment in Manipur Police Service (MPS) as she is the daughter-in-law of Rajkumar Meghan, former chairman of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) - one of the biggest insurgent group in the Northeast.
The cop was later allowed to join the police force after she approached the Guwahati High Court but she resigned in 2016.
However, in 2017, Brinda was reinstated in the police force at the behest of the Centre.
(With inputs from PTI)
