Underlining July 23, 2009 : Two shocking reports
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 12 2016 -

Two shocking reports should underline the infamous BT Road killings of July 23, 2009.

The media in Manipur missed them, but what is important is that the two reports can very well decide the outcome of the case which is underway.

First it was news magazine Tehelka which came out with the tell tale photographs which showed a very much alive Ch Sanjit being accosted and pushed inside Maimu Pharmacy on BT Road with the bullet riddled body coming out later.

The Assembly session was then underway and one may still remember the police version of the event read out by the Chief Minister on the floor of the House.

The story was the same as it has been with many other such cases. Sanjit was killed in an encounter.

Fast forward to 2016 and another bombshell was dropped, when suspended Head Constable Th Herojit spilled the beans and detailed how it was him who shot dead an unarmed Sanjit inside the pharmacy under instructions from an officer.

Two bombshells and while the case is yet to be wrapped up, the tell tale photographs of Tehelka and the confession of Th Herojit should be more than enough indication there are indeed some policemen who have been trained to be killing machines.

Encounter specialists may have been a term coined to identify a select group of cops in cities like Mumbai, who were trained to take on the mafia there, but here in Manipur it may be a misnomer to use this term.

Better it may be to use the term, custodial killing specialists.

This is what is disturbing and frightening too.

The law and order situation may be officially attributed to the activities of the militants but this alone is not the reason why all roads and streets in Imphal and other parts of the State are deserted soon after sun set.

Things may have improved to a certain extent, but there is still nothing to say that there is some night life here.

While the Government may point fingers at the activities of the militants for this situation, it stands that to many people it is the prospect of meeting cops during the night that compels them to stay indoors.

A deeper study of the evening before every Republic Day or Independence Day should underline the point that is sought to be conveyed here.

It is more about the concern of meeting policemen on duty on the streets which compel many to return home early rather than failing to meet the deadline of the boycott call served by the militant groups.

This is one fundamental point that the Government should take note of.

In short, in the name of containing the activities of the militants, the State seems to have produced a number of trigger happy personnel and this is what is frightening.

The admission of Th Herojit has only reinforced this assumption.