Imphal, December 11: Just imagine having lost someone dear to you, completing the last rites and rituals and getting informed after one year that the 'dead' kin has been killed in an encounter with security personnel just a few days back.

Such cases may be rare but it actually happened to one Khuraijam Mithoiba of Kyamgei Maning Leikai when his son, who joined an underground outfit was 'declared' dead many months back, only to discover the body lying at the mortuary to be his very own son.

In what could be described as a rude awakening to the family the man killed in an alleged encounter with Imphal West commandos in the early hours of December 10 has actually turned out to be one already declared dead when the identity was established today.

The deceased youth killed in the said encounter at Lalambung Makhong and identified as Khuraijam Sanatomba alias Sanjit (27) of Kyamgei Maning Leikai was previously declared 'dead' in a powerful bomb blast at Sekmai last year.

Officially Sanjit was also recorded as being killed in the same blast.

Family members had performed the religious rites of the shattered body retrieved from the blast site with even the annual rituals observed some months back.

According to family members, Sanjit had joined the underground PLA some ten years back and was never arrested.

It may be recalled that on August 26 night at around 10.30 last year, two underground activists, including a woman died when the bomb they were planting in between Pangantabi Awang Leikai and Nongthonbam Khul near Sekmai police station accidentally went off killing them on the spot.

Two days later, a police department statement was issued to the press by the Additional DGP Y Joykumar saying that those killed in the Sekmai incident were among the PLA activists involved in the August 14, 2003 Lilong blast.

The police statement had recorded the identities of the Sekmai victims as Thiyam Ibemcha alias Suchitra alias Anjana (32) of Heirangoithong Jaganath Achouba and Khuraijam Sanatomba alias Sanjit (26) of Kyamgei Heibong Makhong Maning Leikai.

Ibemcha was described as a corporal of the PLA's Demo Group and Sanatomba as lance corporal of the same outfit.

Many of the family members and close relatives who arrived at RIMS morgue to collect Sanatomba's body today wept inconsolably as they realised that they had presumed Sanatomba to have died and performed the rituals when in fact he was still alive.

They also lamented that Sanatomba never showed or informed to the family of being still alive for the last many months.

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