The case of Loitam Richard : More a case of ganging up
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 25, 2012 -

Sit-in-protest against the killing of L Richard :: Pix - TSE

The picture is still sketchy. Was it a case of culpable homicide or was there a more sinister design to it ? Whatever the case it may be, the truth stands that the life of a young man, with a bright future ahead, has been abruptly cut short, and that too cruelly.

The initial report that Loitam Richard was beaten to death by some senior hostelmates when he changed the television channel while they were watching a match of the IPL has been refuted by the family members now and this opens up a whole set of new questions, for which there are no answers as yet. However this is besides the point.

The fact, the heart breaking cold fact is, the life of a young man, pursuing a degree in Architecture has been snuffed out and that it was not a natural death is clear. He was killed, prima facie.

Brutality is written all over the death of the young man and this is what is galling.

All the reports that we have received so far are sketchy, with the Bangalore police awaiting the post mortem report, but what should be clear to all is the fact that it was more of a case of a group of students ganging up against him, rather than a physical confrontation between two young students.

If we go along this premise then premeditated attack, with the intent to inflict the maximum damage, cannot be ruled out at all. How can a group of students suddenly gang up and then attack a lone student fellow and assault him to such an extent that it led to his death ?

Campus violence is not uncommon in India, but in most cases the violence that have been reported had more to do with student politics and the more one mulls over the death of the young student here, the more it becomes clear that it was more than a case of some students indulging in violence or goondaism.

It goes beyond some college roughnecks landing blows on a younger student and borders more on a gang attacking a hapless individual.

Reports coming in here have not said anything about lethal weapons being used and this more or less rules out the possibility that Richard succumbed to injuries he received in a man to man clash with another hostel mate.

On the part of the State Government, a team of State police led by an officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police from the Special Branch of the CID was deputed to Bangalore to get a first hand account of the case and they have returned.

The DGP is understood to have already got in touch with the Additional DGP (Law and Order) of Karnataka police over the matter and while the swift response of the State police is notable, it should not begin and end with this.

The Chief Minister has so not uttter a single word, nor has the Home Minister. Busy charting out the list for the next Ministry expansion ? The answer to this question should be significant.

Given the manner in which police all over the country work, there is all the more pressing need for the State Government to exert pressure on the Government of Karnataka to get to the bottom of the case and accordingly haul up the culprits.

As we understand it, there are quite a large number of students as well as professionals from Manipur studying and working at Bangalore and it is here that the understanding of the term, Manipuri Diaspora should be given a more cutting edge definition.

If there is anything that they can do, they should go ahead. Professionals whose work may be directly or closely related to the media should pull their strings to focus on the murder of Loitam Richard.

Others may also chip in with whatever they can. We will not jump the gun and paint the murder of Richard with a racial brush, but it is nonetheless a scary proposition to even think that a young student who obviously looks different and so far away from home can be killed so non-chalantly by a group of fellow students inside the sanctum sanctorum of an educational institution.

The life of a young student has been snuffed out cruelly, but this should not be the end of the story.

The fight for justice starts now.

The question is, are the people of Manipur and the State Government ready to take up the cudgels ?

Today it is Loitam Richard, tomorrow it could be any Tomba, Hongba and Chaoba.

Wordsmiths we are, but it is hard to find the appropriate words to convey our condolences to the bereaved family members and to the friends of the late young men. May his soul rest in peace.