Witnesses of triple murder case say, Dr Kishan was harassed by DC Pankaj Kumar
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 15 2011:
Dr Thingnam Kishan, the then Kasom Khullen SDO, who was murdered over a year back along with his two sub-ordinate staff after being abducted by NSCN-IM cadres, had been harassed by the then Ukhrul DC, Pankaj Kumar Pal before he got killed, according to the statements of witnesses in the court, where a trial hearing was being conducted.
Another round of hearing of the case based on the charge-sheet submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), investigating into the case was conducted recently in the court of OP Saini, Special Judge, CBI, Tis Hazari, New Delhi.
In her statement given on April 29, 2011, Thingnam Romita Devi wife of Late Kishan said "I strongly believed that Pankaj Kumar Pal, DC, Ukhrul is the mastermind behind the killing of my husband" .
Before he was murdered her husband had told her that the DC was harassing him and was finding ways to remove him, she deposed.
When he was alive "my brother told me that DC Pankaj Kumar Pal had a close nexus with activists of the NSCN-IM," Thingnam Roshan, the younger brother of late Th Kishan said in his statement.
He added, "My brother also told me that the NSCN-IM had demanded their share in NREGA Scheme Funds and DC Pankaj Kumar Pal had also supported the the NSCN-IM demand" .
Roshan in his statement recalled the conversation with his elder brother before his death.
Thingnam Surendra Singh, father of Late Kishan, in his statement, admitted that he had filed a criminal complaint about the incident before the court of Ukhrul district magistrate which alleged Pankaj of planning and conspiring the kidnapping and murder of his son.
Advocate Khaidem Mani questioned the fairness of the CBI charge-sheet on the case saying that it seems that CBI is also trying to avoid implicating the then DC in the case.
While expressing his opinion, Mani recalled state government relieving the IAS officer from Manipur-Tripura cadre and deputing him to Bihar and Pankaj's attitude of avoiding giving his statement when the case was being investigated by the state police.