E-Paper
Manipur: FIR against BJP legislator over demolition of under-construction school
The case has been registered under sections 329(3), 329(4), 324(4), 3(5) and 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
The police have registered an FIR against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator L Susindro Meitei on charges of criminal trespass, house trespass and violation of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act, 1984, over the alleged demolition of an under-construction school building at Khurai Heikrumakhong in Imphal East district.
The complaint was filed at Porompat police station by Konsam Santosh Meitei, a resident of Khurai Konsam Leikai and a site supervisor with ATW (India) Pvt Ltd.
In the FIR, Santosh stated that at around 2pm on January 18, the newly sanctioned and under-construction building at Khurai Heikrumakhong Junior High School was forcibly demolished using an excavator, allegedly on the instructions and with the involvement of BJP legislator L Susindro Meitei.
The FIR further noted that “the Hon’ble MLA himself has claimed through local papers and social media that he himself instructed/ordered demolition of the structures”.
According to the complaint, the construction work was being carried out under funding from the North Eastern Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) of the North Eastern Council (NEC) and was executed by the Education Engineering Wing of the Government of Manipur. The site, it said, had been allotted by the competent authorities and engineers of the engineering wing. The FIR also stated that “the site selection and execution of the work was started recently as per verification and approved drawing.”
The case has been registered at Porompat police station under sections 329(3), 329(4), 324(4), 3(5) and 3 of the PDPP Act, 1984.
When contacted, the BJP legislator could not be reached. However, a person close to him told HT that the MLA is currently in the national capital.
According to Santosh, the construction was initiated after receiving approval from the competent authorities and the concerned department. He alleged that the MLA had earlier warned him to stop the construction, claiming the site was not appropriate, and had cautioned that the structure would be demolished if the work continued forcibly.
