The police in Manipur capital Imphal have booked journalist Kishorchandra Wangkhem and political activist Erendro Leichombam under the National Security Act of 1980 over their Facebook posts allegedly deriding the death of State BJP president S. Tikendra Singh.
The duo was arrested on May 13 after the BJP leader succumbed to COVID-19. Referring to his death, both had commented that cow urine and dung were not cures for infection by the virus.
Explainer: Sedition and its discontents
Their arrest was based on a complaint filed by Manipur BJP general secretary P. Premananda Meetei and vice-president Usham Deban Singh.
An order issued by Imphal West District Magistrate Th. Kirankumar on Monday said Mr. Wangkhem “be detained under Section 3(2) of National Security Act, 1980, until further orders as and when he is released on bail”.
The journalist and Mr. Leichombam were subsequently booked under NSA, Imphal West’s Superintendent of Police L. Meghachandra Singh said.
On Monday, the district’s Chief Judicial Magistrate granted bail to the duo on the execution of a personal recognisance bond of ₹50,000 each with “a surety bond of a like amount” on condition that they will not repeat a “similar offence in the future” and be available for interrogation by the investigating officer as and when required.
Both Mr. Wangkhem, 41, and Mr. Leichombam, 40, had been arrested twice earlier on charges of sedition and for criticising the government.
The latter is the founder of the People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance, a political party whose candidate in the 2017 Manipur elections included rights activist Irom Sharmila.
Mr. Wangkhem was released in April 2019 after being detained for four-and-a-half months under the NSA for allegedly derogatory comments against the BJP-led government in the State and using expletives while referring to Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.
A sedition case was filed against Mr. Leichombam in July 2020 over a Facebook post in which he was allegedly critical of the State’s titular king Sanajaoba Leishemba after his election to the Rajya Sabha as a BJP member.
