Journalist deposes in Luningla case
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, February 02, 2011: ISTV associate editor, Yumnam Rupachandra who is also the special correspondent of The Statesman today appeared in the Court of Session Judge, Manipur East which is conducting a trial for the kidnapping and subsequent murder of 8 year old Luningla Elizabeth, daughter of former minister Francis Ngajokpa in 2003. He appeared in the court to depose regarding broadcasting an "uncensored" footage of a press conference related to the handing over of an accused person by the banned UNLF in January, 2004.The CBI had already been investigating the case.

The UNLF had handed over one Ningombam Rome Meetei who admitted his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Luningla Elizabeth whose decomposed dead body packed in a gunny bag was found in a pond at Tera Sadokpam in Imphal West.

She was abducted on November 4, 2003 on the ransom demand of ` 10 lakh and her dead body was fished out of the pond eight days later.

The CBI, SCB, Kolkata took over the investigation of the case in May 2004 and later submitted a charge-sheet of the case and a trial hearing commenced.

Leikhosei Haokip alias James Kuki is the prime accused of the case as per the CBI charge-sheet while two others accused are now in jail while one had committed suicide.

Th Nando Singh and Ningombam Rome Meetei are in jail while Okram Deven @ Arnold committed suicide in the jail in February last year.

Police arrested Rome after he was handed over to a Meira Paibi group by some UNLF cadres on January 5, 2004. The ISTV Network telecast the footage of the handing over the accused to Meira Paibis on the next day which drew the attention of the investigating agency and summoned him to depose in the court today.

Rupachandra admitted telecasting of the footage uncensored on January 6, 2004 in his network.

In his statement, he justified that "At the relevant time it was a very important and sensitive case of Manipur, so it was very much needed to telecast the disclosure of Rome Meetei".

"The disclosure was shown unedited giving the true statement.

By looking at the nature of the case, the disclosure, in entirety was shown as the people of Manipur were interested in the outcome of the case," he said asserting that he will be able to identify the said Rome.

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