Satyabhama case
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 09, 2013 -

Protest still going on :: Pix - Hueiyen Lanpao

For the last four days, normal life in Manipur has remained affected following public protest and indefinite bandh over the death of 32-year old Ningombam Satyabhama, a Junior Research Fellow of a Project under the Department of Pathology, RIMS, who was found murdered and abandoned at a dried up canal at Bashikhong Wangkhei Loumanbi field under Imphal East district in the afternoon of April 5.

Even four days of recovering the body with tale tell signs of an adept criminal at the work; the police are still clueless and unable to arrest the murder(s); maintaining that it is a case hard to be solved with all the links missing and traces erased.

This definitely says something very eloquent about lack of investigative skill on the part of the State police personnel.

In any crime investigation, the probe is said to have been half completed on the spot itself. But the State police personnel have not accomplished that at all is known easily from how they have been dragging the feet from day one with absurd claims.

On Day one, the police personnel investigating into case opined that the victim appeared to have been killed elsewhere and later abandoned at the spot where the body was found.

On Day two, they assured that the identities of the people involved in the killing have been established and they would be arrested within a couple of days.

But on Day three, they said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up and the DGP as well as other top police officials themselves are personally monitoring the progress of the investigation.

But, now the question is, where is the progress of the investigation that State police are talking about?

This alleged cluelessness, nay, helplessness, of the State Police in handling such crimes has been at the root cause of public anger not just in the present case but also in other similar cases in the past.

But the State Police have never become wiser in spite of facing wrath of the public over and over again. This is very sad and unfortunate indeed.

Speaking on the occasion of 4th foundation day of Unit Christian Church Association of Manipur Police Christian Church at National Games Village, Zone-I, Langol on April 7, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, who also holds the portfolio of Home, has once again admitted to lack of discipline and integrity among the personnel of State Police, and stressed on the need to change the conduct of the State Police in dealing with the public.

Even if the Home Minister has not elaborated on the 'conduct', of the State Police, it is self-explanatory from the kind of the relationship that has existed between the police and the public in Manipur, which could be best described as mutual distrust.

The very concept of public-friendly police is still something of a misnomer in Manipuri society.

In such a situation, it would be futile to expect the co-operation of the public over anything, however essential it may be. To crack the present case of killing Satyabhama, wherein the culprit(s) appear(s) to be an old hand in criminal activities and knew how to erase every trace of the crime, the State police certainly need to win the trust of the people and extend their hands for public support and co-operation in the investigation, rather than targeting protestors crying for justice.