Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 27 2009:
Rejecting police claim that Yumnam Rakesh of Lilong Chajing Keithel was killed during an encounter, family members of the deceased have demanded an inquiry into the incident.
Police claimed that Rakesh was killed by a combined force of Imphal East Police Commandos and 28 Assam Rifles during an encounter which took place on the night of February 25 at Thambalkhong Sabal Leikai under Porompat Police Station.
However, rejecting the police claim, mother of the deceased, Yumnam Ongbi Bimola Devi has today submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding an inquiry into the killing.
According to the memorandum, Rakesh was a salesman of PT Marketing at Khoyathong and he was arrested by a combined force of Police Commandos and Assam Rifles from near his residential gate at around 1 pm of February 23.At the time of his arrest, no arrest memo had been issued.
Apart from lodging a complaint in connection with the arrest with the Singjamei Police Station at around 7 pm of February 24, the matter had also been duly reported to the local MLA O Joy who contacted the SP of Imphal West District and other top police officers to help in finding the missing youth.
However, much to the surprise of the family members, the newspaper reports of February 26 stated that Rakesh was killed in an encounter with the combined force.
Accordingly, the memorandum demanded that an inquiry should be instituted to find out the truth and pull up the security personnel involved in the killing.
Meanwhile, with the family members refusing to take back, the body of Rakesh is still lying in the mortuary of RIMS Hospital as unclaimed body.
It may be noted that police had also claimed that in the encounter one 9 mm pistol and a magazine loaded with three live rounds of ammunition were recovered from the possession of Rakesh.