Imphal, September 26: Even though it has been more than two months since the bullet riddled body of Th Manorama was found after she was picked up from her residence by a team of 17 Assam Rifles, there is no indication as yet that the investigations ordered to probe her death would arrive at its logical conclusions.

After the public raised a big hue and cry, the Army authority wasted no time in constituting an Army Court of Inquiry to look into the matter and promised all that justice would be delivered.

But as things stand today, there is not an iota of indication that the case is heading towards its logical conclusion.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, a highly placed source said that there is pressing need to present the true picture to the people and added that the recent news that have made it to the State dailies seem to portray that the State Police is not co-operating with the Army Court of Inquiry.

Setting the record straight, the source said that two FIRs were registered with the Irilbung Police Station in connection with the death of Th Manorama.

One was filed by the family members of the deceased woman while the other was filed by the Assam Rifles authority.

While the family members have all appeared before the Investigating Officer of the police and given their statements, till date the Assam Rifles personnel have refused to give their statement.

"It is for the complainants to first give their statements and based on their statements, the police will have to start its investigation," said the source and countered, "Why are the Assam Rifles men refusing to extend their co-operation?� Now instead of co-operating with the police, the Army authority is trying to send out the signal that it is the police which is refusing to co-operate, said the source and questioned, under what ground the Army Court had asked that the DNA profile of the semen stain found on the undergarments of Th Manorama be submitted before it.

"The blood samples of the AR men were collected at RIMS and they were taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Kolkata by an Assam Rifles officer," said the officer and added that asking the OC to submit the DNA profile is nothing but delaying tactics employed by the Army authority.

Moreover the Army Court of Inquiry is just like a Departmental inquiry and as such, the Army does not have the authority to summon any civil witnesses, which the police is in this case, he added.

On September 9, the State Home Department wrote to the Commander of 9 Sector that examination of the AR personnel involved in the arrest of Manorama is necessary for expeditious dispensation of justice, said the source.

The Government had also sought the list of the AR personnel involved in the operation along with documentary records (duty register/deployment records), said the source.

However the Army authority is still refusing to extend their cooperation; said the source and added that this is nothing but an attempt to delay the case and finally bury it.

On September 4, just one day ahead of the arrival of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, the Army authority had written to the State Home Department that the case taken up by the police is a parallel investigation in the face of the Army Court and the Judicial Inquiry instituted by the State Government.

The army's stand is a fallacy, said the source adding that the police have to do their job and since the case has been registered it is the responsibility of the police to probe the case.

On July 31, the Army through the PIB Defence Wing issued a curt statement saying that some lapses were found in the conduct of its personnel, recalled the source and questioned, why nothing more has come out, though army officers, including the Chief of the Army Staff, NC Vij has gone on record and stated that Manorama was not raped.

The question of whether the woman was raped or not is not the central issue, though it is extremely sensitive, said the source and pointed out that the real issue here is the fact that her dead body was recovered after she was picked up by the Assam Rifles personnel for which an arrest memo as well as a seizure memo was issued.

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