Condemn the brutal murder of Nengneikim Haokip and Satlhun Haokip

5th May, 2017

The Thadou Students’ Association, General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) condemns in the strongest term the brutal murder of Miss Nengneikim Haokip @ Shila (21 years) d/o (L) Mr Jamtil Haokip of New Molbem village, Sugnu, Chandel district, Mr Kaikholen Tuboi (28 years) s/o Mr Doujaneh Tuboi of New Keithelmanbi Village, Kangpokpi district, Mr Ngamlet Haokip of Thingbongjang village and Mr Satlhun Haokip of Chassad Avenue, Imphal. While Nengneikim and Kaikholen were found murdered on the fateful night of 4th May, 2017 at a place between Utangpokpi and Moltinchan under Sugnu Police station, Chandel district, the murdered bodies of Ngamlet and Satlhun were found near Boljang village under Sapormaina Police station in Kangpokpi district on the same night.

Nengneikim, who was working as a teacher at Enlighten Kids Care Centre, Sugnu, went out at around 8 pm to meet her boyfriend who was from the same locality. The prima facie report that Nengneikim was found naked suggest that she was raped and then murdered ruthlessly. Nengneikim and Kaikholen had no connection in this regard and were apparently murdered separately at different locations about half a kilometre apart. Kaikholen hails from New Keithelmanbi village and was stopping at a residence of his wife's family in Sugnu area for some work.

It is highly suspected that the murderer(s) of Nengneikim and Kaikholen would be the same person(s) and that Kaikholen fell prey to the perpetrators of the crime to cover up their heinous criminal act as he was potentially a witness to the incident of the rape and murder of Nengneikim.

In this regard, Government of Manipur should take the issue most seriously and investigate the matter at the earliest possible time to bring swift justice, failing which will invite intense agitation from the public and concerned civil society organisations.

The recent spate of incidents of rape in the state is extremely worrying. Why has the state's home minister remained silent on the recent incidents of sexual assault in Manipur? Had timely and stringent action been taken against perpetrators in previous incidents of sexual assault, it might have deterred criminals from committing the same crime.

Justice has been delivered in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case by awarding death penalty to the rapists of Nirbhaya, but what has the previous and current government in Manipur done to deliver justice to victims of rape/gang rape and other sexual assaults and murder?