Imphal, February 04 2010: Director of RIMS, Dr Fimate today, in the court of District and Session Judge, Manipur East, said that as per finding of the postmortem reports of the dead bodies of victims of Malom Massacre of November 2000, they were shot dead by arms like rifles from the close range.

The Director, a former head of department, Forensic Department RIMS gave his statement in the Court of District and Session Judge, Manipur East presided over by Th Surbala today at 10.30 am enquiring into the fact and circumstance of the incident in which 10 civilians were gunned down by troops of 8 Assam Rifles in the aftermath of bomb attack to them on November 2, 2000 .

In his statement in the court, Dr Fimate observed that as per finding of the post mortem examination to the dead bodies, they were killed in homicidal nature.

They were killed by firing from close ranges of three feet at the farthest, he reiterated elaborately putting down the homicidal nature of killing.

Prof Nabachandra, the current head of department of the RIMS Forensic Department, who also took part in the postmortem conducted on the dead bodies, also gave his statement to the court.

According to his revelation, prof Nabachandra had conducted postmortem to three victims, G Babu, M Robinson and M Chandramani.

He also suggested that they were shot dead from close range of around three feet by weapons like rifles.

Four professors of the Forensic Department of the RIMS Hospital Imphal were summoned to appear in the court today by the District and Session Judge, Manipur East to give their statements on the Malom firing incident 10 year back in November, 2000 that claimed lives of 10 civilians in AR firing.

They were Dr Fimate, director of RIMS, Dr Momochand (currently serving at a hospital in Pondicherry), Dr Nabachandra (present head of department of forensic department, RIMS) and Dr Th Bijoy.

Director Fimate and Prof Nabacchandra represented the two doctors as Dr Momochand who is out of station, working outside the state did not turned up and Dr Th Bijoy had expired.

After recording the statements of the two officials of RIMS, the Court adjourned for the day with the announcement that the final argument to the hearing of the court will be held on February 10 .

Mention may be made that as per directive of the Gauhati High Court, Imphal Bench, the District and Session Judge, Manipur East is conducting inquiry into the fact and circumstances leading to the incident.

On November 2, 2000, troops of 8 Assam Rifles fired indiscriminately towards a group of civilians at the bus waiting shed at Malom along the Tidim road killing 10 civilians apart from inflicting injuries to several others.

In the incident later known as Malom massacre 10 civilians including students and women were killed in the Assam Rifles firing.

The deceased persons were L Sana Devi (60), G Bap Sharma (50), O Sanayaima (50), K Bijoy (35) A Raghumani (34), S Robinson Singh (27), Ksh Inaocha (23), T Shantikumar (19), S Prakash Singh (18), S Chandramani (17) .