Murder Most Foul
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 25, 2012 -

"Murder most foul as in the best it is/But this most foul, strange and unnatural", thus commented the Ghost about his own death in Hamlet, the immortal play of William Shakespeare.

The very same comment could very well be ascribed to the poor Manipuri student who was brutally beaten to death by some senior hostel mates Bangalore on April 18.

According to reports, a student of Architecture Engineering in Acharya NRV School of Architecture, 21-year old Richard Loitam of Uripok Yambam Leikai was assaulted by some of his senior hostel mates when he allegedly switched the channel on the TV broadcasting IPL cricket match. The seniors were infuriated so much that they beat him up severely.

Richard was taken to a nearby hospital but he succumbed. However, the bereaved family members have claimed that there was no such incident of switching TV channel but Richard was murder in cold-blood.

After the shocking incident, Home Minister of Manipur Gaikhangam reportedly wrote a strongly worded letter to his Karnataka counterpart urging for immediate action to arrest of the culprits involved in the murder not just most foul but also strange and unnatural as well as for taking up adequate measures to ensure protection of Manipuri students studying at Bangalore.

The Bangalore Manipuri Students' Union has condemned the incident and lodged an FIR with the police for the arrest of the culprits.

It is said that there is a sizeable number of Manipuri students studying in various institutes of Bangalore and its outskirts even as several others are employed in various companies and retail chains.

Now coming back to the incident of killing Richard in such a brutal manner, it is surprising to know that the authority of Acharya NRV School of Architecture is trying to hush-up the matter describing the 'murder most foul' as mere accident.

Just as one of our readers who wrote a letter to Hueiyen Lanpao daily has noted, "It is ruthless to kill someone in an act of fury, but surely it is as ruthless to dismiss the cold-blooded murder when one is at a position to take serious action against it and its perpetrator", the authorities of Acharya NRV School of Architecture and more particular the principal of the institute should not overlook its duty of doing justice to students like Richard.

Such inactive and inapt handling of the case would only lead to a disturbing situation where there is 'absolutely no fear of authority' by the senior students but also 'no respect for life and no love in their hearts'. (To take the liberty of quoting lines from the letter published in this paper in connection with the killing) What is even more surprising over the killing is that it has not evoked the kind of response expected from the normally vocal student organisations in the state nor the National media has given adequate coverage and attention to take up the issue to its logical conclusion.

Last but not the least, it is despicable that most Manipuri people living in Bangalore have not deemed it fit to the raise the issue at the right forum although they have been more enthusiastic for media coverage over trifling programmes like Thabal Chongba.