Nagaland: TR Zeliang rubbishes media reports of his involvement in terror funding case

Kohima | March 22, 2018

Former chief minister and senior NPF leader TR Zeliang has termed media reports claiming to have confirmation of documentary evidence indicating his involvement in terror funding case as nothing but "pure exaggeration and dim-witted imagination at its heights".

A communiqué issued by information & publicity wing of leader of opposition's office on Wednesday asserted that distorting facts did not change the story and added that linking Zeliang to terror funding by some reporters buttressing their stories with fake inputs claiming to have been obtained from National Investigation Agency (NIA) and government sources was highly objectionable and put journalism ethics to shame.

The communiqué clarified that news reports appearing in Assam and Nagaland media or anywhere else and linking the former chief minister to terror funding were neither confirmed by NIA nor by Zeliang or his office, but were mere copy-paste from reports published on hearsay. It rebutted the news published in Deccan Chronicle by stating that it was totally wrong and misleading.

Zeliang had personally written for deferment of the date for his cross examination because of the Assembly session, which would end on March 2, and there was no written reply to NIA through any advocate at any point of time, it was further clarified.

Asserting that some "political virus" with vested interests trying to flare up the issue could not be ruled out, leader of opposition's office stressed that NIA would never provide such false information to any media house or reporters and the recent fake reports in the media was nothing but a remake of allegations raised against Zeliang in 2015 when he was accused of laundering Rs 78 crore in Singapore and Hongkong banks. The general public had believed the false news till it was confirmed from the banks concerned, the office pointed out.

Alleging that such news reports were the brainchild of people with destructive mindset, the communiqué called for avoiding false news reports and publishing unconfirmed news reports without authentication at all cost.

The leader of opposition's office said it was constrained to issue the clarification to put speculations related to NIA summon of Zeliang to rest and set the record straight for all times.

Source: Nagaland Post