A case of dead man tells no tale ? Death of a damsel
- Sangai Express Editorial :: May 31, 2013 -

Dead man tells no tale. And so it is that Reingamphy Awungshi will not be in a position to say how she died.

All the more reason for the investigating agency, Delhi police in this case, to be more determined to find out how the 21 year old girl died alone in her room, especially in the face of the allegations raised by relatives that she was found dead with a broken nose, blood around her neck, a wound on her leg and moreover she was found holding her mobile phone in her hand.

A frantic last second attempt to contact someone before she passed away ?

The last word is yet to be said but it is important to question whether Delhi police or any other investigating agency handling the case will take the matter with the seriousness it deserves or not.

Allegations can be made, especially when a girl as young as 21 is found dead alone in her room without any comprehensible reason.

Whether the allegations are wild and without basis is another thing, but it is important to clue in on anything that is being said or raised.

This is one of the thumb rules of investigating any cases, especially suspected 'murder cases'.

No reason why this angle should not be studied, of course, without pointing fingers at anyone and jumping the gun blindly.

The worrying part and not without basis is whether Reingamphy Awungshi will end up as just another figure on the list of students/professionals from the North East region meeting an unnatural death far away from home.

The case of Loitam Richard, who passed away last year inside his hostel room at Bangalore, comes to mind.

No one seems to know what exactly has happened to that case and no one seems to care either.

Should the death of the young girl be taken as just another case of unnatural death or should it be read along the 'discrimination' line that people from the North East are usually subjected to in that part of the country that lies west of the proverbial chicken neck ?

Initial stage of investigation and it is only right that only questions, but relevant questions, are raised before jumping to any conclusion that could trigger unwanted reactions or responses from the people.

What however does not strictly lie in the realm of speculations or questions is the fact that young people from the North East region, studying or working in the metros of mainland India (understood vis-a-vis the North East region) are not exactly safe.

Some years back a young girl from Manipur was slashed to death at a public place in Mumbai.

Last year it was Loitam Richard and in between and later there have been several other cases of rape, molestation and murder and assault of young people from the region in some of these metros, particularly in Delhi.

There can be no foolproof formula to ensure safety or security of the young people staying far away from home. This is a given and cannot be unique only to the North Easterners.

However the propensity to demonstrate insensitivity to the plight of the young people from the region in places like Delhi has been the 'rule' rather than the 'exception' and perhaps this is where the biggest slip shows.

The very fact that Delhi police issued a list of dos and don'ts for North East students studying in Delhi some years back says something profound and significant.

The list of dos and don'ts was nothing less than a code, which included the type of dress which young people from the region should wear to what they should eat, especially if they happen to stay in rented accommodation.

Reingamphy Awungshi is dead, but do not let her death follow the line of 'dead man tells no tale.' Let the truth be unearthed.