A BJP leader and former soldier arrested in connection with the killing of a Manipur police officer in October last year has been expelled from the party, news agency IANS reported. Hemkholal Mate, 36, treasurer of the party's Tengnoupal unit and also the chief of K Moulsang village was arrested from the state border town of Moreh on Monday. He was also the Finance Secretary of the Mate Tribe Union (MTU).
State BJP’s senior Vice President N Nimbus Singh said that the party executive expelled the leader immediately after the arrest after holding an emergency meeting.
Police officer Chingtham Anand Kumar was killed by a sniper last October while he was on duty at Eastern Shine ground in the border town. He was shot while supervising the cleaning of Eastern Shine Ground for a helicopter landing at Moreh and subsequently succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
The joint team of police and state forces on Monday night arrested Mate and prime accused, Philip Khaikholal Khongsai, also an ex-serviceman and president of the Moreh Youth Club.
However, locals in Moreh demanded their release while widespread protests were witnessed in the Imphal valley over demands seeking the case to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency.