Justice in triple murder case
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: January 15, 2014 -
Patience, they say, is a bitter plant but it gives sweet fruits.
And, so, it is only four days away to know what kind of fruits does the nearly five-year long patience brings for the bereaved family members of Dr Thingnam Kishan, the then SDO of Kasom Khullen and his two subordinate staffs, namely Revenue Mandal Yumnam Token and Driver Aribam Rajen Sharma, who were brutally murdered by some trigger-happy armed cadres of NSCN (IM).
After a three-year long trial, a Special Court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which takes over the task of investigating into the infamous triple murder case from the State Government on January 31, 2010, is all set to announce its final judgement on January 18 and the fate of the main accused Hopeson Ningshen, a self-styled lieutenant colonel of NSCN (IM), would be known.
Even though we could not say what would be the final verdict on the sensational case that evoked widespread protests and crippled normal lives in Manipur for weeks, it was very obvious that the bereaved families, who have been crying for justice all these years, would surely want that severest of exemplary punishment be given to the accused.
After all, it was one of the 'murder most foul' in the history of Manipur and the loss that the bereaved families have endured all these years is something that could never be compensated in any form, monetary or otherwise.
However, whether the judgement of the Special CBI Court to be pronounced on January 18 would be able to do 'true' justice to the departed precious souls of Dr Kishan, Yumnam Token and Aribam Rajen Sharma would still remains a question until all the other co-accused in the case have not been pulled up, tried and given their due share of punishment.
From the magnitude and brutality of the crime involving, first, abduction of altogether six persons from Ukhrul in the morning of February 13, 2009; then, singling out only Dr Kishan, Token and Rajen while releasing the other three unharmed and lastly, taking the three hostages to the far off Taphou Kuki village in Senapati district, from where their lifeless bodies with hands tied from behind were found with tale tell signs of the most gruesome murder four days after, it was quite evident that Hopeson Ningshen, though he is the main accused, alone could not have committed the crime.
In the status report of the investigation conducted by the Ukhrul police station names of eight accused persons, out of which four of them have been subsequently remanded into judicial custody, have been mentioned.
But nothing of these co-accused have been ever heard anymore.
Moreover, what has happened to the case filed by the father of Dr Kishan in the Gauhati High Court praying for probe into the alleged conspiracy and role of Pankaj Kumar Pal, the then Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul, in the triple murder, is not known?
Until and unless, some satisfactory answers could be given to these questions, some bitter plants, even if they are euphemistically called 'Patience', would only bear bitter fruits, surely.
And, doing full justice to the surviving as well as the departed souls would be out of the purview of any law court.
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