Human chains protest 'double murder' of Loitam Richard and Laaba
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 05 2012: Human chains were formed today along the Imphal-Moreh route and Tiddim Line to protest the controversial death of Loitam Richard in Bangalore recently, and to demand thorough investigation into the mysterious death of Okram Laaba in Chennai last year.

While Bangalore-based Acharya NRV School of Architecture student Richard's demise is being hotly debated in the country with the matter figuring even in the Parliament, Laaba's father O Ibocha had recently voiced suspicion on the circumstances of his son being found death due to hanging in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

O Laaba was a student of Hindustan College of Arts and Science, Chennai.

Today's protest demonstration staged along the Imphal-Moreh route from Singjamei upto Canchipur was participated, mostly by the student community.

They also raised slogans in unison demanding justice on the double murder, punishing the guilty person(s) and decrying alleged discrimination against students/people from the North East region in the mainland India.

Students forming human chain along Imphal-Moreh and Tiddim Line routes

Students of educational institutions located along the Tiddim Line also came out in large number to form the human chain on the said route.

The human chain protests were in continuation of the ongoing movement jointly initiated by six student bodies namely DESAM, AMSU, MSF, KSA, SUAK and SUK since yesterday.

a sit-in-protest was organised by the bodies at Khwairamband Keithel to protest the killings and demand thorough investigation into the cases in the respective States.

Speaking to newspersons on the sidelines of the protest demonstration, DESAM general secretary Arambam Thoithoi opined that incidents of North East students getting killed in metropolitan cities are direct fallout and testimony of continuous discrimination by the mainland people.

Expressing that Richard and Laaba became victims of such an attitude, he contended that lack of initiative in the past by the State Government to pursue similar cases till its logical end had been encouraging people of the metropolis commit such crime with audacity.

Demanding that the Government of Manipur convey plight and grievances of the State public against the double murder to those States where Richard and Laaba got killed, he suggested that handing over the cases to the CBI might be able to expeditiously deliver justice to the aggrieved families.

Thoithoi also declared that a mass protest rally of students would be carried out on May 7 .

Meanwhile, Manipuri students staged sit-in protest and observed candle light at Chandigarh to express solidarity to the ongoing movement against the controversial death of Richard Loitam.

Over 300 students took part at the protest sessions organised by Manipuri Students' Association, Chandigarh at the Students' Centre in Panjab University, Chandigarh.