Imphal, March 21 2010: As part of the probe being conducted into the July 23 Khwairamband Bazar incident, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started recording the statements of the reporters who collected the news from the spot on that day as well as the photographs and the video footages of the incident taken by them.

At the directive of the Gauhati High Court, a special investigation team of the CBI led by an IG has been investigating the incident.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the CBI team have started recording the statements of reporters and collecting the photographs that were published in the local newspapers as well as the photos and video footages shown on local cable TV network, ISTV.

Recording statements of the reporters is being carried out by a team led by SP from New Delhi.

According to information received by the press, though the investigation has progressed a lot, the investigating team has not yet been able to identity the source of the photographs that were published in Tehelka news magazine but the search is on.

CBI has so far interrogated Teresa Rahman, the Guwahati correspondent of the news magazine that filed the report on the July 23 incident along with the photographic evidences alleging that Chungkham Sanjit was killed in a fake encounter.

Over and above the seven commando personnel who have been placed under suspension in connection with the incident, the investigating agency has also recorded the statement of the OC Commando City Unit.

However, the investigating agency has not been able to extract any information from many eyewitnesses who were present at the site of the incident as they have not come forward either due to fear or from some other reasons.

It may be recalled here that an alleged former UG cadre Chungkham Sanjit and pregnant Thokchom Ongbi Rabina were killed while five other persons sustained bullet injuries in the July 23 incident.

Apart from the July 23, some of the cases being investigated by CBI include the assassination of Prof Md Islamuddin of Manipur University, killing of junior sub-editor of Imphal Free Press and the abduction and subsequent murder of then Kasom Khullen SDO Dr Thingnam Kishan and his two sub-ordinate staff.

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