Court to hear bail prayers
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 26 2010:
Nine police personnel who were chargesheeted by CBI in the July 23, 2009 Khwairamband Bazar shooting surrendered Saturday in the court of chief judicial magistrate Imphal, two days ahead of the expiry of the deadline.
The CBI on September 9 had submitted a chargesheet against nine Imphal west police commando personnel involved in the 'fake encounter' in which Chungkham Sanjit, a former militant was killed.
They were booked under appropriate sections of the law and court had issued arrest warrants against them and to produce them on or before September 27 in the same court.
Two days ahead of the expiry of the deadline, all the nine personnel including officer-in-charge of city police station, Imphal, Inspector Y Munal surrendered before the court amidst tight security.
Civil police personnel who were on duty were not informed of the matter till they were deployed at the court complex.
Besides the OC Imphal city police station, Inspector Y Munal and OC of bazar unit, Imphal west police Commando, Inspector Hijam Debendra, others who have been chargesheeted by the CBI included constable Thounaojam Herojit, rifleman Ngangom Toyaima of 8th MR, constable Wahengbam Bioykumar, havildar Thokchom Jagat of 8th MR, rifleman Md Imran Khan of 5th IRB, head constable Oinam Kishore and constable Makon Kanchung Chothe.
While surrendering to the court, the nine police personnel prayed for granting bail and the same will be discussed in the court of the CJM, Imphal West, BK Sharma tomorrow.
The court has also stayed the arrest warrant orders against them till tomorrow.
The personnel will not appear in person in the court during the hearing for securing bail but the court is likely to decide whether they will be granted bail or not, sources said.
The CBI had booked the nine police personnel under section 34 in read with 302, 218, 203 IPC and also under substantive offences.
Under the sections Inspector Munal was booked, he can obtaine bail but for the other eight it was non-bailable offences.
But they are likely to get bail under certain conditions within the provisions of the law.
CBI had charged the city police OC of trying to eliminate evidence of the incident alleging that constable Herojit shot dead Chungkham Sanjit on orders from inspector Debendra, OC of the bazar unit of Imphal west district commandos.
Head constable Herojit deposed before the CBI that before Sanjit was shot dead, he received a wireless message from Mike-68 (Cdo Bazar unit control room) that two unknown youths, one wearing blue jean trousers with a black shirt and the other wearing black jean trousers with a red shirt had entered the bazar area at 9.55 a.m.He further told the investigating agency that two commando personnel, Toyaima and Kaiminthang Baite on mobile bike duty no.22 from Hao Bazar to BT road intercepted a youth wearing a blue coloured jean trousers and a red shirt at 10.30 am.
When they tried to conduct a check, Toyaima grabbed the youth who was attempting to escape.
He flashed out a pistol and fired at the youth who was running towards the eastern side, the constable said.
In the firing at the youth, a young housewife later identified as Thokchom Rabina died and five other people were injured, he said.
The commandos chased the youth who was running towards BT road vanished after entering the crowded market place of Khwairamband Bazar.
Later, with reinforcements a manhunt was conducted at Gambir Singh Arcade to nab the youth, the constable added.