Delhi Police plots land innocent North East Indian Christian teen to notorious Tihar prison

23 July 2015

Delhi Police plots land innocent North East Indian Christian teen to notorious Tihar prison
National media misleads Indian public to character assassinate victim

On July 11, a 19-year-old Manipuri teen who was recuperating from ear drum damage he had allegedly suffered due to physical assault by the Delhi Police was summoned to the Indian capital, in connection with an earlier case of burglary that the Delhi police have claimed to have occurred at Mount Carmel School Anand Niketan on May 29, though the school authorities have confirmed that no such robbery incident happened.

However, little did the Christian family of the victim Rahul Moirangthem, who was in Imphal then, knew that a conspiracy was being hatched by the Delhi police – a despicable plot to use Rahul as a “scapegoat” behind the infamous February 12 burglary case that happened at Holy Child Auxilium School which led to much political hues and cries as hate-attack on Christians by anti-Christian community of India.

Later, after Rahul reached the national capital, he was immediately put under arrest on the charges of committing theft at Holy Child.

A student of Mount Carmel School, Rahul was earlier arrested by the police on May 29 this year, and accused him of raiding his very own Mount Carmel School and committing theft. The police, in this regard, said CCTV footages taken at the premise of Holy Child showed three masked individuals scaling the wall. However, when the family of the victim appealed and requested to show that footages, Delhi police reportedly declined it and did not apparently cooperate, informed elder sister of victim Supriya Moirangthem.

Meanwhile, shocked over the charges heaped on her brother, Supriya in her Facebook post, stated that the Rahul and two of his friends had decided to party on that fateful night (May 29) as Rahul was to head for his native place in the north-eastern state of Manipur the very next day.

However that night, when the students were taking selfies, some personnel of Delhi Police saw them and nabbed the three friends and taken to prison.

Allegedly forced to sign four blank papers and his fingerprints taken in the police station, Rahul was asked to give them bribes which he did not comply leading the enraged Delhi police personnel to severely assault him so much so that his ear drums got damaged. Existing medical reports establishes that Rahul indeed had suffered injuries due to the physical abuse committed by Delhi police. Unfortunately, Rahul has confessed to his crimes after being intimidated by the Delhi police that they will allegedly kill him or end his career. He is now languishing at the notorious Tihar Jail as bail has been denied.

Bewildering is such the case that, the authorities of Rahul’s very own school Mount Carmel had never ever filed a report of robbery to the police. This has been confirmed by the school authority that did not pressed any charges against the teenager. Additionally, no fingerprints were taken from the school premise of Mount Carmel, according to a senior authority (name withheld) of the school itself.

Since that May 29 incident, Rahul who was granted bail had been recuperating under the care of his family in Imphal, capital of Manipur, when that July 11 phone call came. The Delhi police had told Rahul to appear in connection with the Mount Carmel case and as such had to comply with the orders of the police.

Shockingly, upon his arrival, the police charged him of committing theft at Holy Child Auxilium School based on the fingerprints which were provided by Central Forensic Science Laboratory. They said that the fingerprints of Rahul matched with those found at the crime site of Holy Child Auxilium School. The school authority of Mount Carmel during telephonic conversation also wondered how the fingerprints have been matched.

In fact, the school authority added, the vice-principal of Mount Carmel told the police that they must have done something or pushed Rahul to make him confess to which the police replied the confession was made by the teenager himself on his own accord.

National media misleads Indian public

Following the arrest, Indian media swung into frenzy and hailed the action of Delhi police for solving the Holy Child theft case. Additionally, the national media without any substantial evidences and solely relying on police claims, began to report stories to demonize Rahul as a teen with acute behavioural problems and a student whose nature was akin to a hardened criminal.

Without any impartial study of the truth behind the claim of Delhi Police, Times of India (TOI) in their news story “He also targeted alma matter” published on July 14 said Rahul “chose a bizarre way to fund his lavish lifestyle.” However, when they said “lavish lifestyle” what the TOI never reported in their story is Rahul does not even own a vehicle nor does he frequent bars, discotheques and places which can be associated as living a lavish lifestyle.

TOI was negligent enough to even clearly write the name of Rahul as they referred to him as “Rohul” throughout the very news story.

Although the motive of TOI to mislead the entire Indian citizens can only be guessed, TOI in the very first sentence of this news story stated “Rohul Moirangthem was feared by everyone in Mount Carmel School in South Campus, his classmates told police.”

However, this is unlikely as the same authority of the school said students of the school are not allowed to talk with the police without the consent of the parents. Even when the police asked about details of the students, the school authority had clearly declined it and told them that unless they bring an official letter or have the consent of the parents, the students are not allowed to be questioned as they are juveniles.

The school authorities however acknowledged that police did came to their school. Telephonic conversation with the school authority also revealed that no media persons from TOI had visited the Anand Niketan branch of Mount Carmel school in connection with the case.

The girlfriend who was hit with beer bottle

TOI also claimed in the same news story that “short-tempered Rohul had hit his girlfriend with a beer bottle when she wanted to break up with him. She suffered a serious injury to her eye and remained hospitalized for a month”. But, the reputed national daily never mentioned the name of the girl nor have they made any effort to learn what actually happened.

This “girlfriend” who actually is just a female friend of victimised Rahul was reportedly mocked by one mainland Indian student as “chinki” during a field visit of the school to a company. This female friend (name withheld) informed that the derogatory word which mainland Indians particularly residents of Delhi call people hailing from the North East region had enraged Rahul who retaliated for humiliating his friend by throwing a coke plastic bottle but accidentally hit her.

The unethical journalistic practice of TOI alleging that Rahul used a beer bottle to throw at “this girlfriend” during a field trip of a reputed school in Delhi in the presence of teacher is quite astonishing. In this regard, the school authority mentioned that it was an unfortunate incident and that no beer bottle was employed rather a plastic coke bottle was thrown which accidentally hit her.

TOI, in an another news story “No hate crime, school in Vishant Vihar was burgled” published on July 14, directly called Rahul as “culprit” though no court of law has pronounced any judgement or found him guilty of having committed a crime.

Meanwhile, reputed news agency, Indo Asian News Service (IANS) in their story “Burglary at Delhi School solved, Manipuri youth arrested” did not even care enough to properly mention the date of the Holy Child theft case.

Irresponsible as it is, or a typo mistake, IANS in their news report published on July 13, said “the burglary took place in the intervening night of May 12-13 at the Holy Child Auxilium School” although all concerned parties including the Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani who was an alumnus of the school knew the burglary at Holy Child took place in February this year.

The IANS story was published in dozens of other national newspapers which subscribes the news agency including dailies of Manipur.

However, student bodies from North Eastern states which are based in Delhi have denounced the police claims and the way Rahul has been made a scapegoat for a case which Delhi police were unable to solve.