[Indu Chukhu]
YUPIA, 21 Nov: Charges framed against protestors in connection with the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (AE Civil) paper leakage and the February 17-18, 2023 bandh call, at Itanagar police station were dismissed on Thursday by the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Yupia. The court ruled that the charges against the individuals were baseless and lacked substance.
Nine individuals, including six students-Techi Puru, Tadak Nalo, Raj Pao, Gali Beyong, Mili Huto, Rahul Nada, Tarh Tariang, Tomi Ngomdir, and Logum Tagia-had been arrested and chargesheeted in the case.
Tadak Nalo, the former vice chairman of the Pan-Arunachal Joint Steering Committee, while addressing reporters outside the court said, “Today’s judgment is a testament to the cause we stood for.” He welcomed the court’s decision in their favour and emphasized that the judgment should send a clear message regarding other pending chargesheets against them in various police stations in the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR). “We, as law-abiding citizens of this state, appreciate the justice system of the country,” Nalo added.
Over 15 FIRs have been lodged against the group across seven police stations in the ICR, including Itanagar, Naharlagun-Nirjuli and Doimukh.
Nalo also criticized the government for filing separate chargesheets in multiple police stations, calling it a misuse of government machinery aimed at silencing the voices of the people. He described the move as “a gross abuse of power” and a “classic case of hypocrisy and backstabbing,” questioning the government’s actions in continuing the case instead of withdrawing it as promised.
Nalo further revealed that apart from the chargesheet filed in Itanagar PS, 2 to 3 other police stations in the ICR have come forward, and they are expected to be officially summoned soon. He called this a tactic of harassment and time-wasting.
The court’s judgment on Thursday was the result of the fifth hearing over a span of 10 months. The protestors had been booked under Sections 145, 147, 148, 149, 188, 431, 427, 332, and 353 of the IPC, along with Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Property Act.
