Imphal, December 26 2010: The recent death of Longjam Inaobi, a goldsmith, is not a case of a suicide instead he was murdered after being beaten up, said MLA Sapam Kunjakeshore today while speaking in a sit in protest held at Patsoi part I Bazar.

He appealed the agitating women to press the state government to arrest the culprits and conduct a trial as per law of the land.

Women of Patsoi area today gathered at Patsoi Part I Bazar to protest the killing of Longjam Inaobi.

The women decided to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister to investigate into the matter and conduct a trial as per law.

A JAC was formed against the killing of Inaobi.

If the government fails to arrest the culprits and to conduct a proper trial, the JAC has decided to launch a series of agitations.

Condemning Inaobi's killing, Patsoi MLA Kunjakeshore appealed to the JAC to wait for the response of the government before taking up any further steps.

He also appealed to the people of the area to support the family of the deceased.

Longjam ongbi Ishingchaobi, wife of Inaobi said that Inaobi had been working in the jewellery shop of Kangabam Pritam at Kangabam Leikai since the past three years.

Ratan, a relative of Inaobi called him to come alone to talk about a case of missing gold on December 22.On receiving the news, Inaobi along with his mother and wife went to the shop.

At about 11.30 am, Ratan and Pritam told his mother and wife to go back asking Inaobi to stay behind to talk about the matter.

People then accused him of stealing the gold started beating him.

His relative Ratan joined in the beating.

Then Pritam called someone on the phone, a little later, a man who talked and behaved like a policeman came over.

Inaobi pleaded Pritam to give him three days to return the gold.

Pritam however refused saying that he (Inaobi) could join a UG outfit within the three days.

The unknown man then told Inaobi that he would tell the whole story if his party joined the beating.

It was this person who asked Pritam not to allow Inaobi to go back and instead asked Inaobi's mother and wife to go home.

Inaobi had called around 2.05 pm telling that he will be back to discuss with some persons regarding his Ingkhol.

Around 2.30 pm, just as Inaobi's mother and wife reached their home, Ratan called up and told them that Inaobi had commited suicide by hanging in the toilet of the shop.

His wife and mother rushed to the shop and found Inaobi's lifeless body lying in front of a toilet.

His body was covered with a white cloth.

When they removed the cloth, they found that the body had blood on his ears and hands.

One of his arms was raised above the head as if in self defence.

There were injury marks also on his forehead and neck.

Inaobi's wife Ishingchaobi has said that her husband did not commit suicide but he was beaten to death.

She said, the injury marks on his body clearly showed that he was beaten to death.

Inaobi is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Ishingchaobi appealed to the government to arrest the culprits and punish them.

The JAC led by MLA Kunjakeshore submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister regarding the incident.

It may be mentioned that the dead body of Inaobi is still lying in the mortuary of RIMS after his family members declined to take the dead body demanding justice first from the government.

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