State Home minister comes to know about market vandalisation the next day

43 arrested; SMS, MMS service restriction to continue

Staff Reporter
Dimapur, March 9

While Dimapur was thrown out of gear on March 4 when thousands of students held rally at City Tower and mob vandalized New Market and Hazi Park protesting against the alleged rape on one Naga student, State Home Minister Y Patton, who was in New Delhi along with Chief Minister TR Zeilang, was unaware of the incident. Both of them were in Delhi to meet central leaders.
In a shocking disclosure Patton said that he came to know about the ‘unrest situation’ of March 4 in Dimapur only the next day.
Indeed, it shows there is a total lapse of co-ordination between the Nagaland Government and State machineries. Or the state home department did not consider the situation seriously.
The mob activities began on March 4 which exploded the following day leading to jail break and lynching of the rape accused.
Patton also brushed aside question of resignation of concerned ministers on moral ground following the March 5 incident. “There is no question of resigning” and since judicial enquiry is going on, things will be clear only after the report comes out”, said Patton while addressing a press conference at the DC conference hall on Monday.
Meanwhile, the state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 1 lakh for the person who was killed in police firing on March 5 while the injured persons will be given Rs.50, 000 each.
Meanwhile, Nagaland Police has arrested 43 people so far for their involvement in the mob violence in which rape accused Khan was lynched. According to the police, most of the arrested persons are said to be students. Four cases have been registered with various police stations in connection with the March 5 incident in Dimapur and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to look into the case. Two cases have been registered with Diphupar police station, one case with East police station and one case with West police station. The cases registered with the Diphupar Police station are for murder, jail breaking, arson while another murder case with the East Police station and rioting, unlawful assembly and criminal conspiracy with West police Station. Police are examining the video footages to identify more people, said police officials.
The police however are yet to re-arrest two of the prisoners, who have escaped during the storming of jail by the mob on March 5. The two absconding detainees were said to be booked under National Security Act (NSA), the police source said.
Meanwhile, no untoward incidents have been reported for the last four days and situation is improving in the commercial hub but SMS and MMS services will continue to be restricted in a bid to control spread of rumours on the social media. The government, reportedly, on Monday extended for two more days the restriction of SMS and MMS services.