Lotha Hoho (LH) has strongly condemned the incident of highhandedness of Nagaland Police at Wokha town on April 17 while enforcing the ongoing lockdown in which Dr Mungshithung Murry was beaten up mercilessly.
The hoho said witnesses and onlookers were convinced that the errant policemen were intoxicated and even the video of the incident proved that they had behaved like animals. If the doctor had violated any Lockdown, he should have been arrested and tried as per rules, but definitely not beaten up on the spot by the policemen, it stressed.
Demanding to know if the controlling authority had empowered the policemen on duty to use force and violence to enforce lockdown, LH said the present crisis was a human/social calamity and not a law and order issue, and hence the policemen and everyone was together fighting a common enemy. Hence, it was stupid to fight among “ourselves behind the battlefront”, it stressed.
The apex Lotha body said the policemen were expected to assist, guide, protect and cooperate with the public and together achieve the target of social distancing, which was the main purpose of the lockdown. Under such a circumstance, it emphasised that the policemen could not use their stick to beat as though they were enforcing prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC.
The organisation wondered as to whether the policemen were even trained and whether they knew that they were being paid for performing their duty and that they were public servants, not dictators.
Immediately after the incident, LH claimed it had been mobilising public support, which was overwhelmingly, for action against the errant policemen. However, as the victim and his parents had amicably settled the issue, it had to honour the settlement.
Nonetheless, the organisation demanded that the authorities concerned should identify the policemen involved in the incident and take disciplinary action against them so that they did not malign the police profession. Also sternly warning policemen against such unruly behaviours, the hoho asked them to maintain discipline as they were public servants and cautioned that any repeat of such conduct would not be tolerated by Lotha public.
LH said during a consultative meeting with Wokha district administration on April 15 it had urged policemen to maintain discipline while enforcing lockdown and had pointed out that they had chosen their profession on their own volition, none had forced them, and they were performing their bounden duty for which they were paid salary. Hence, it reasoned that the policemen could not claim extra credit for performing duty.
Reminding them of their oath to serve, the apex Lotha body said the policemen were not doing any favour to anyone, adding people in other professions too were performing their duties as per the calling of their respective professions. This was stated in a press release by LH chairman Mhondamo Ovung and general secretary Aben Ngullie.