Imphal, August 05 2010: While the Thoubal District Police demanded the assailants of two police commando personnel in the Lilong Ushoipokpi incident of August 3 to surrender immediately, one of the severely injured personnel succumbed to his injuries at Shija Hospital today.

Havildar, L Somendro of 3rd IRB attached to Thoubal Police Commando unit, who was struggling for his life for the last two days after he sustained severe injuries in the assault by a mob at Lilong Ushoipokpi on Tuesday night, succumbed to his injuries at Shija Hospital at about 1.40 pm today.

He was among the two personnel hurt in the mob attack on a team of five personnel of police commandos in a Gypsy which entered a house belonging to one Md Sanayai of Lilong Ushoipokpi in Thoubal district on Tuesday night.

A day after the incident, locals of Lilong Ushoipokpi charged the police commando team of five personnel of looting Rs 1,80,000 from the house before the mob attacked them which was decried by the Thoubal District Police in a statement signed by Additional SP, Jogeshchandra Haobijam today.

While decrying the allegations hurled by the locals, the statement also asked "those who are responsible for the murder and assault of Havildar no.0307792 L Somendro Singh and Rifleman no.132001233 N Robindro Singh of CDO Thoubal must surrender to the police immediately" .

Reacting to the alleged assault and looting of Rs 1.8 lakh at the house of Md Sanayai, the additional SP, in the statement, said that the team led by the deceased havildar had gone to the house of Md Sanayai at Ushoipokpi to conduct a search and cause arrest of some persons indulging in illegal drugs trade at the said place based on information received from reliable sources.

The mob gathered quickly while the commando personnel were conducting verification of individuals in the house of Sanayai and search operations were on.

Despite utmost restraint by not to fire the mob started attacking the police personnel, as it turned out with murderous intention and with the insistence of some persons with vested interests.

In the ensuing fury two service weapons, AK-47, of the commandos were snatched and thrown away, the statement said.

The allegation against the commando personnel taking an amount of Rs 1.8 lakhs is totally false and fabricated.

The two personnel alleged to have taken the amount were in fact brutally beaten up and found unconscious in teh house with their hands and legs tied, the additional SP said observing that if there was any looting, it would have been by the mob.

The allegation is nothing but an attempt to tarnish the image of the Thoubal district police, the statement observed reiterating that those who are responsible for the murder and assault of the two personnel must surrender to the police immediately.

On other hand, in an unrelated incident, a man apprehended by personnel of 7th Manipur Rifles post at Moreh Kondong Lairembi died in the custody of the Moreh Police Station where he was handed over.

A police report said that he died at around 3.30 am today.

The victim identified as Jamkhongam Haokip (43) son of Ngamzathang Haokip of Chikim Veng near Kondong Lairembi under Moreh Policce Station of Chandel district was nabbed by the personnel of 7th MR from his home yesterday evening along with a 9 mm pistol loaded with five live rounds and handed over to the police.

The report could not confirm whether he died of illness or torture.

Comment