Victims of mob justice turn tables
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 30 2011: In an indictment to the prevailing mob justice of taking the law into their hands and targeting the houses of alleged accused without proper investigation, victimised members of a family have decided to knock at the door of the law court for justice and necessary action against all those responsible for instigating the mob to burn down their house and making them homeless.

On March 22, 2011, the house of Mutum Rajen of Thoubal Kiyam Siphai, Babu Bazar was ransacked and set on fire by an irate mob over the death of Mutum Pushpo of the same locality and a relative, who was found dead hanging inside his own bed room the previous night, at around 8.30 pm.

After a public meeting during which a JAC was formed, an irate mob burnt down the house of Rajen alleging he and his son Surjit murdered Pushpo before hanging it to pass it off as a case of suicide.

Addressing a press conference at Manipur Press Club here today, Mutum Ongbi Leima Devi, wife of Rajen, questioned why the JAC members and the Meira Paibi leaders who instigated the mob to burn their down house without any proper investigation should not be punished in accordance to the law of the land, now that her husband and son have been acquitted of the charge of murder.

Recounting the events that led to the torching of their house, Leima Devi informed that on the night of March 21, Pushpo came looking for Surjit saying he had eloped with a girl and he should come to meet her.

But it was actually a prank.

The girl was none other than the girl friend of Surjit, who requested Pushpo to bring Surjit for a secret meeting.

However, after going along with Surjit for sometime, Pushpo left without saying anything.

To verify the news of elopement, Rajen himself went to Angtha where Pushpo was found at the venue of a Thabalchongba programme and brought him back for questioning in the presence of the girl and two other friends of Surjit, namely Maibam Surchandra and Sarangthem Tomba.

Apart from scolding Pushpo for the prank , no one had done anything to him and it was finally resolved that the girl would be accepted as the wife of Surjit.

Accordingly, the following morning, the news of elopement was conveyed to the family members of the girl.

After the news was conveyed, Surjit and some of friends including Pushpo had lunch together at the place of Sarangthem Tomba.

There again some of the friends scolded Pushpo for the prank, but Surjit asked all to forget what had happened.

At around 7.30 pm of the same day, some elderly persons including Rajen went to drop the girl at her maternal home and they came back at around 8.30 pm, Leima Devi recalled, while questioning where would be the involvement of any family members over the death of Pushpo who was found dead hanging inside his own bed room at around 8 pm.

Asserting that the mob had been instigated by some JAC members and Meira Paibi leaders who spread false propaganda to settle personal score, Leima Devi contended that the family members of Pushpo who were present during the post-mortem examination conducted with video coverage and claimed the body after signing the necessary documents should have a fair enough knowledge whether Pushpo killed himself or was murdered.

If it was a case of murder, why did the police frame the charges against my husband and son under IPC Section 306 (abetment of suicide) and 120b (conspiracy for murder) and not under IPC section 302 which is related to murder, Leima Devi questioned.

In the case registered with the police after the post-mortem, Pushpo's father mentioned that Pushpo killed himself and this fact should have been in the knowledge of the JAC members and other local people, Leima Devi observed, while seeking justice for her husband and son, who have been wrongly accused and rendered the rest of the family members homeless.

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