Imphal, October 19 2008: Contradictory versions have emerged from the death of a girl at Borayangbi Mayai Leikai under Kumbi police station.

The seven year old girl identified as Nargis who was found in a pond in the night of October 9 succumbed on the same day.

While the village elders believed that the girl was killed by evil spirit, the bereaved mother has an altogether different story to tell.

According to the mother Thoibi Begum (35), four unidentified persons came to her house at about 7 pm of October 9 in connection with monetary demand of Rs 2.5 lakhs made against her family.

They asked if her was husband was around.

When she replied in the negative, they picked up her daughter and went out.

A little later, the girl was found drowning in a pond.

Even as people of the neighbourhood tried their best to save Nargis, she passed away.

While the girl's one slipper was found near the house, the other was found near the pond.

Recounting the incident, Thoibi Begum said as her health condition was not sound, she lost consciousness when the unidentified persons took away her daughter.

She regained consciousness only when a din broke out on discovering the drowning girl.

Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, Thoibi strongly refuted the version of local people that her child was killed by evil spirits.

But the local people have rubbished her statement that Nargis was taken away by four persons minutes before she was found drowning saying that what she saw was only an illusion, Thoibi lamented.

Earlier on September 14, two identified persons came to her house asking for her husband, Abdul Gaffar.

The two persons came again on the next day and demanded Rs 2.5 lakhs saying that the same should be met within September 30 .

They also instructed Thoibi to bring the money to a location in Ithai area.

On being asked about their party, the two persons who appeared to be Meiteis refused to divulge their party saying that it did not matter.

After informing her husband about the incident and the local people, the matter was discussed in public meetings.

But nothing concrete could be done as the particular party which made the demand remained unknown.

On October 12, after the death of Nargis, Isak Khan was accosted by some unidentified persons at Sagang Bazar where he went to laminate a photograph.

The unidentified persons asked Isak Khan if his father was at home.

Besides asking Isak Khan whether there was any security personnel, they asked him to ride with them but Isak Khan refused and hurried back home, Thoibi conveyed.

Since this incident of October 12, the local people have started suspecting the death of Nargis, she said.

It was impossible for such a little girl to go out alone in the darkness, said Abdul Gaffar while rejecting the version of his child's accidental death or killing by evil spirit.

Expressing deep anguish and shock at the unspecified monetary demand and subsequent death of his daughter, Abdul Gaffar appealed to security forces to investigate into the matter properly.

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