Suspicious death of missing Manipuri youth in Noida; body cremated by police without permission
21st September, 2017
Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-134-2017
http://www.urgentappeals.net/support.php?ua=AHRC-UAC-134-2017
INDIA: Suspicious death of missing Manipuri youth in Noida; body cremated by police without permission
ISSUES: Police apathy, miscarriage of justice, conspiracy, failure to follow due process
Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated
information from the Youth Forum for the Protection of Human Rights
(YFPHR), Manipur. It concerns the death of a 22-year-old man from
Manipur in Noida. Reported missing by his friends, they were late
informed that he had passed away and his body was cremated by the
police. This was done without following due process and without the
consent of his family members or the Manipur Government.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Mr. Pravish Chanam, a permanent resident of Imphal, Manipur was
staying in Noida. He went out with some of his friends to attend a
Musical Concert in Noida on the evening of 8th September 2017. After
they reached the Concert Hall and spent some time there, his friends
noticed that Pravish had disappeared. This was about 9:30 p.m and his
friends spent the whole night looking for him but they could not find
him.
After a disappointing search, his brother Mr. Ravikanta Chanam along
with his friends approached the Knowledge Park Police Station, Noida
on the morning of 9th September 2017 and filed a missing person’s
complaint. Up until 13th September 2017, Pravish’s family members
had no information regarding his whereabouts. On 13th September, the
Nithari Police Station informed his family that the dead body of
Pravish had been cremated. It came as a great shock to them. They had
no knowledge of the death or cremation of their family member. Their
permission was not requested before the cremation was carried out.
It is pertinent to note the CCTV footage, made known to his brother by
the Police showed Pravish at about 10:30 p.m. entering the Bhim Rao
Ambedkar Hospital in an exhausted condition. News reports
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This case throws up many unanswered questions
A wireless
message, regarding the complaint of a missing person, should have been
broadcast by the Police as per S.174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
and the Nithari Police Station Officials should have initiated an
enquiry in a case of death under suspicious circumstances. Hospital
authorities must be questioned regarding the cause of death. The
latest reports
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the relevant authorities asking them to order
an enquiry into the behavior of the errant police officials and
hospital authorities; to initiate criminal action against the
aforementioned for failing to follow due process regarding the missing
person complaint and subsequently, the unauthorized cremation of an
unclaimed dead body. Compensation must be paid to the kin of the
deceased for their great loss and for the mental trauma they have
undergone.
The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the Working Group on Enforced
and Involuntary Disappearance calling for their intervention in this
matter.
To support this case, please click here:
http://www.urgentappeals.net/support.php?ua=AHRC-UAC-134-2017
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear ___________,
INDIA: Suspicious death of missing Manipuri youth in Noida; body cremated by police without permission
Name of victim: Mr. Pravish Chanam (22)
Names of alleged perpetrators: Nithari Police Station, Knowledge Park
Police Station, Bheem Roy Ambedkar Hospital and Government District
Combined Hospital, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Date of incident: 8th / 9th September 2017
Place of incident: Noida, Uttar Pradesh
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the unfortunate death
of a young man, Mr. Pravish Chanam, all of 22 years old. The Asian
Human Rights Commission has received information that Chanam was
reported missing on Sep9th and a few days later, his family was
informed that the police had cremated his body. Mr. Pravish Chanam was
a permanent resident of Imphal, Manipur, staying in Noida. On the
evening of 8th September 2017, he went out with some friends to attend
a Musical Concert. After they reached the Concert Hall, and spent some
time there, his friends noticed that Pravish was missing. It was about
9:30 p.m and his friends spent the whole night looking for him but
they could not find him.
After their disappointing search, his brother Mr. Chanam Ravikanta
along with his friends approached the Knowledge Park Police Station,
Noida on the morning of 9th September 2017. They filed a missing
person’s complaint. Three days passed after the complaint was lodged
but Pravish’s family and friends had no further information about
him or his whereabouts. It was on 13th September 2017 that the Nithari
Police Station informed Pravish’s family that his dead body had been
cremated. It came as a tremendous shock to them that he was dead and
cremated without their knowledge or approval.
It is pertinent to note that the CCTV footage made known to his
brother by the Police showed Pravish entering the Bhim Rao Ambedkar
Hospital in an exhausted condition at around 10.30 pm. News reports
suggest that he was found unconscious around 9.30 pm and he was
admitted to the District hospital by the Concert Organizer. The
records of the Government District Combined Hospital indicate that
Pravish was admitted at 12:35 a.m., on 9th September 2017, and
diagnosed by Mr. Prashant Tyagi, one of the doctors on duty. It was
also learned that the people who found Pravish in a deteriorating
state of health, informed the Police Control Room of Sector-30. The
time of his discharge and the time he left hospital, remains unknown.
Reports suggest that his body was found at around 5 pm, near the car
market in Nithari.
In the horrific case, both Police Stations failed in circulating the
information to other police stations and newspapers. They took the law
into their own hands by cremating the body without obtaining
permission from his family or following the due process of law. They
neglected to pass on the information regarding the unidentified body
in the mortuary and no opportunity was provided for anyone to claim
the dead body. Whether it was a premeditated conspiracy or a matter of
gross negligence, this case must be urgently investigated to know what
happened to Pravish Chanam.
Therefore, I request you to register a crime and book the offending
police pfficers and hospital authorities for willful negligence. Their
alleged criminal behavior and deliberate actions violated procedures
established by law. Three police officers have already been suspended
and they should be punished if found guilty. There must be a thorough
investigation into this case, especially the video of the postmortem
examination, to ascertain the cause of death. Lastly, the Government
must pay appropriate compensation to the kin of the deceased for the
great loss and mental trauma suffered by the family.
Yours Sincerely,
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Justice H.L.Dattu, Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Manav Adhikar Bhawan
Block-C, G.P.O. Complex, INA
New Delhi-110023
Email: [email protected]
2. Mr. Yogi Adityanath
Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
Minister of Home Department
361, Old Gorakhpur,
Shri Gorakhnath Mandir,
Gorakhpur-273015, Uttar Pradesh.
India
Fax: 0522-2239573
E-mail- [email protected]
3. Mr. Sulkhan Singh (IPS)
Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh
Police Headquarters
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226007
Office no. - 0522-2206104
E-mail - [email protected]
4. Mr. Justice S. Rafat Alam
Acting Chairperson, Uttar Pradesh State
Human Rights Commission.
23, Gautampalli, Lucknow Camp Office:
Bungalow No.- 01A (Type 6) Sector Gamma -1, Greater Noida
Fax- 0120- 2561611
Urgent Appeals Program
Asian Human Rights Commission
([email protected]
Asian Human Rights Commission
G/F
52 Princess Margaret Road
Ho Man Tin, Kowloon
Hongkong S.A.R.
Tel: +(852) 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) 2698-6367
Web: www.humanrights.asia
twitter/youtube/facebook: humanrightsasia
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This Press Release was posted on September 22 2017
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