July 23, 2009 BT Road killings :: 10 years on, justice not yet delivered: WCAL
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 23 2019: The Working Committee of the Apunba Lup (WCAL) has lamented that justice has not done till date even though it has been 10 years since Th Rabina and Ch Sanjit were shot dead.

The 10th death anniversary of Rabina and Sanjit was observed today at Lamyanba Shanglen, Palace Compound under the aegis of the WCAL and the JACs constituted in connection with the twin killings.

People paid floral tributes to photographs of Rabina and Sanjit and the gathering also observed silence for a few minutes in honour of the two departed souls.

July 23, 2009 BT Road killings :: 10 years on, justice not yet delivered: WCAL

Speaking at the gathering WCAL coordinator Phulindro Konsam lamented that justice has not been delivered to the victims of the broad daylight shooting even though the killing took place a decade ago.

Under the cloak ofthe dreaded AFSPA, security forces have killed, raped and tortured a large number of people in the State and they (security forces) are also instrumental in internal displacement of hundreds of people, Phulindro said.

Manipur Police too have killed a number of people in fake encounters.

The killing of Sanjit was one of the most cruel fake encounters carried out by police, he decried.

Recalling the BT Road killing of July 23, 2009, Phulindro said that Thokchom (O) Rabina (23) w/o Chinglensana of Lamdeng Khunou was hit by a bullet and was killed on the spot at around 10.30 am on the busy BT Road.

Rabina, then five months pregnant, was also carrying her three years old son on her back but the kid escaped unhurt.

Soon after, Chungkham Sanjit (25) of Khurai Sajor Leikai was shot dead inside a pharmacy in another alleged encounter.

As people were suspicious of the way Sanjit was shot dead, people carried out sustained protest agitation.

In August same year, Tehelka Magazine published a damning sequence of photographs starting from when Sanjit was taken inside the pharmacy by police till he was brought out as a dead man under news story titled 'Murder in plain sight'.

This photographic evidence only added fuel to the people's raging agitation, Phulindro said.

Unable to face the people's relentless pressure, the State Government handed the case to CBI.

Later, Constable Th Herojit submitted an affidavit to Court and confided that he shot dead Sanjit at the order of superior officers and the killing was carried out with the knowledge of the Chief Minister and the DGP.

CBI investigated the case and submitted a charge sheet but it appears that the whole process of delivering justice has been stalled, he remarked.

Even though there were cases of killings which were suspected to be fake encounters, WCAL and the people did not have any capacity to confront the State as there was no evidence.

But the case of Sanjit was a clear case of fake encounter as testified by Tehelka's photographs and Constable Herojit's confession, Phulindro said.

"As such, we would continue to fight for justice and see that all the guilty policemen and politicians, in case they too are found guilty, are awarded befitting punishment", he said.

BJP's Vision Document published in 2017 promised that justice would be delivered to the victims of all fake encounters but the BJP-led Government has not been granting prosecution sanction with regard to police personnel involved or suspected to be involved in fake encounter cases, he decried.

WCAL's other coordinators Yumnam Ratankumar, Joy Chingakham, AMKIL vice-president L Nganbi, Poirei Leimarol Apunba Meira Paibi Manipur president L Memchoubi and KAWA president Th Kumu Leima too spoke at the gathering.