Songpi: In a late-night incident in Churachandpur town, police have taken two young men into custody for allegedly destroying traffic management infrastructure put up by the district police. The action was taken after the duo was found damaging the newly fixed PVC road lane separators along the busy Teddim Road stretch at Tuibong on the night of August 27.
The arrested individuals are both 25 years old and belong to the Kuki community. They have been identified by police as Jangminlun Haokip, son of Thenkhothang, originally from Chaningpokpi in Senapati district but presently residing at Pangjol village, Churachandpur, and Jamminlen Haokip, son of Kailam Haokip, native of H. Champhai in Saikul, Kangpokpi district, presently staying at ST Chullouphai, Churachandpur district.
As per the official note shared by Churachandpur Police on August 28, the incident occurred around 11:40 PM when police personnel were manning the Tuibong traffic junction. The two youths, reportedly under heavy influence of alcohol, started pulling out and breaking the orange and white PVC poles and spring cones that were recently placed on the road. When the on-duty traffic police tried to stop them, they allegedly misbehaved and obstructed the officer from performing his duty.
It is worth noting that the PVC divider system was introduced by Churachandpur Police from July 26 onwards as a measure to decongest Teddim Road and to prevent wrong-lane driving and haphazard parking that often leads to traffic jams in the town centre. The spring cone poles are flexible and meant to guide vehicles to stay in their lanes, especially during peak hours.
According to police, the timely intervention of the Joint Monitoring Team, JMT, helped in nabbing the culprits. Subedar Thangminlen Khongsai of 1st India Reserve Battalion, who is the JMT Commander in the area, handed over the two youths to Churachandpur Police Station for further action.
Police said that after preliminary enquiry, both were produced before the Executive Magistrate, Churachandpur, and bound down under the preventive provision of Section 128 BNSS. The district police has cautioned that damage to public property and drunken nuisance will not be tolerated and appealed to all citizens, especially the youth, to support the traffic regulation efforts and maintain civic discipline in the town.
