Back from Delhi,Manipuri actress held for rebel links

Popular Manipuri actress U Devita Devi,who was initially arrested along with a hardcore militant leader of the state in New Delhi last week,but freed,was rearrested on her arrival in her home state on Monday. The 26-year old actress was taken into custody by the Bishenpur police as soon as she landed at Imphal airport from the national capital. Reports from Imphal said a team of Manipur Police had accompanied her from Delhi.

On June 26,Devita had been arrested by the police along with R K Raghunath,alias Nongshaba,the self-styled captain of the Kanglei Yawl Kanna Lup (KYKL),one of the prominent underground groups of Manipur,from a guesthouse in New Delhi’s South Extension area. She was,however,let off almost immediately.

Reports from Imphal,quoting family sources,said Devita,winner of a couple of state film awards in the past couple of years,had gone to Delhi for a health check-up. Her mother,Urikhinbam Umabati Devi,was also quoted as having said that her daughter did not have any links with the KYKL or any other underground group. “My daughter is innocent,” she was quoted as having said.

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Devita’s mother also wrote a letter to the Film Forum of Manipur,the apex body of Manipur’s film industry,to declare Devita as innocent.

The Film Forum,however,decided not to make any hurried move,with its chairman W Lalit Kumar describing the incident as “unfortunate”.