Army officer's wife seeks police help for finding her husband

The wife of a lieutenant colonel has sought the help of Manipur police and social organisation to find and protect her husband, who, she claimed, had been taken into custody by the Army without issuing any warrant.

Making the appeal Ranju Singh, the wife of Lt Col Dharamvir Singh, told newsmen here yesterday that he had been taken into custody without any warrant on the morning of July 1 from his official residence in Imphal.

Media reports said that Lt Col Singh had reportedly accused his superiors of extortion and carrying out fake encounters.

The police today said Ranju Singh had filed an FIR and the force acting on it had met the Army officers who reportedly took away Lt Col Singh and asked them to arrange for her and her two childrens' safe transportation at the earliest to where he had been taken.

The woman had told the police that she had been informed over phone by the Army that Lt Col Singh is in Dimapur in Nagaland.

Police said that Ranju Singh had also said that she and her children are at present not in her husband's quarters and refused to divulge her and her two children's whereabouts.

The Army has strongly denied the charges levelled by Ranju Singh and said it they were made to "malign" its image.

The Army in a press release last night said that Lt Col Singh was posted at Dimapur and had been sent to Manipur on temporary assignment. He was told to report back at Dimapur after the completion of the assignment and was also informed that he had been released by another officer.

Accordingly on July 1 morning he was provided with an official vehicle along with security to proceed to his place of posting. He had officially reached Rangaphar in Dimapur at 9 pm on that night and has been "discharging his bonafide military duties".

The movements of the officer has been intimated to the Imphal West police, the Army said adding that it does not understand why Ranju Singh had chosen to stay back in Imphal despite being provided with independent staff car with security.

Her unusual behaviour could speak of motives unknown to the army and that "possible family feuds or dispute need to be investigated", the release said.