HT Bureau
DIPHU, July 1: Spokesperson of All Party Hills Leaders Conference (APHLC), Angtong Engti Kathar has been arrested here on Friday and has been sent to judicial custody. Police arrested him from the District Judicial Court premises here. Police sources said Kathar was arrested in connection with a case in 2021.
The cases against Kathar are registered with Diphu police station. The case nos are 280/21 U/s 188/143/269/270/336/353/506/323 IPC, R/w Section 83 (2) JJ Act 2015, GR-517/21.
President of APHLC, JI Kathar in Diphu, while briefing the media said it is an old case.
Kathar said, “We have been warned that myself, Angtong Engti Kathar and Bikram Hanse will be beaten severely and to be careful about our movement. It is the plan of RSS and Bongo Sena. If needed, the APHLC will approach the Supreme Court and International Court of Justice.”
Kathar further said, “We are being targeted for making people aware about the rights under the 6th Schedule provision of the Indian Constitution and various government schemes. We are being branded as terrorists.”
At Diphu judicial court, the secretary of APHLC’s legal cell, Semson Teron urged APHLC supporters and workers to stay calm and not to create any violence out of the situation.
“We all are angry and frustrated for arresting our spokesperson. But we need to stay calm as the violence will invite violence,” Teron pleaded.
He further said, “Kathar was vocal on Facebook about the corrupt practices of (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang and to silence him the CEM had directed the law-and-order authority to arrest our spokesperson. It is the CEM that broke the Model Code of Conduct during the KAAC election. His BJP workers had damaged the office of APHLC and torn our flags. But the APHLC workers have always refrained from any retaliation. The police are acting in favour of the BJP. The administration has failed,” Teron said.
Organising secretary of APHLC, Kursing Timung said Kathar was arrested in Diphu, but was taken to Manja Block Primary Health Centre for health check-up which can be done at Diphu Medical College & Hospital.
Timung alleged that it is a plan of RSS and Bongo Sena to kill Kathar in an encounter. The RSS and Bongo Sena are targeting three APHLC leaders, namely, JI Kathar, Angtong Engti Kathar and Bikram Hanse.
APHLC alleged that the CEM’s (Tuliram Ronghang) workers have created problems. There are many ‘gundas’ in Bithung –Rengthama, the home constituency of CEM Ronghang, who always find faults with the APHLC. The APHLC has filed an FIR against 100 persons, but till now no action has been made.