Lover arrested over death of Nepali girl
Six injured in police firing to control mob
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 18 2012:
The lover of a Nepali girl, who was found dead after consuming poison in a car in which the duo went for roaming, has been arrested by the police.
The victim has been identified as Pushpa Devi Basnet (19), d/o Pritam Basnet of Sekmai Tejbari.
She passed the class XI exam recently and got admitted to Class XII at Presidency College, Motbung.
The lover of the girl has also been identified as one Khumanthem Imo (24), s/o Kh Apabi of Maharabi Mamang Leikai.
He too was admitted to RIMS for consuming poison along with the girl.
However, as his condition was out of danger, police formally arrested him.
Condemning the death of Pushpa, Imphal-Dimapur road (National Highway 39) was blocked from 7 am today by local residents of Motbung and Kanglatongbi demanding justice.
All kinds of vehicular traffic including inter-state and inter-district passenger buses were stopped and even MLAs and Ministers have hard time trying to get through the blockade imposed by angry protestors demanding to hand over Khumanthem Imo to them.
The Imphal West district police tried to break up the blockade of the National Highway around 7:30 a.m.by firing mock bombs, tear gas shells and rubber bullets at Kanglatonbi.
In the police action, six agitators including four women reportedly sustained injuries and were taken to Sekmai community health center for medical attention and first aid.
The local MLAs of the area, Zilla Parishad members and high ranking police officers including SP of Imphal West district were present at the spot to control the mob.
The MLA of Kangpokpi A/C Nemcha Kipgen has condemned the crime and asked the police to investigate and punish the culprits at the earliest.
The police officers assured the MLA and the protestors that investigation of the case would be carried out right after the post mortem report and appealed to the people to lift the blockade so as to allow normal flow of traffic along the road.
But the agitators did not agree and shouted slogans demanding justice.
They also placed boulders in the middle of the roads and burnt tyres to stop movement of vehicles along National Highway 39 .
Earlier during the day, the members of the joint action committee (JAC) formed in connection with the death met the Chief minister who reportedly agreed to pay an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs and also to investigate into the incident by a police officer in the rank of DSP.
Meanwhile, bereaved family members informed Hueiyen Lanpao that Pushpa went out from her home at around 10:30 am yesterday for getting admission to class XII at Presidency College.
However, she failed to return home till late in the evening and was later found at Awang Leikinthabi Shantipur foothills inside the car.
On the other hand, Kh Imo who has been arrested by the police told media persons that he went out with Pushpa and had a quarrel in a restaurant in Lamshang.
Then he dropped her at Sekmai.
While he was about to leave, he saw Pushpa getting on a bus and heading towards Imphal.
She send an sms him telling him not to meet her anymore.
Worried over her conduct and intensions, he followed her upto Khuyathong bazaar where she got down and proceeded towards RIMS main gate in an auto rickshaw.
He still followed her and picked her up from RIMS gate and headed back to Sekmai.
On the way she took out something and drank it and after sometime she fell unconscious.
He then bought poison from a shop nearby and consumed it.
After that he did not know what happened.
On the other hand, the villagers and members of the JAC as well as the family members of have refused to take back body even after the post mortem was conducted.
Consequently, police brought back the body and re-deposited the same at RIMS mortuary.
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