Chandanpokpi rallies against police failure
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 10 2014 : Decrying the failure of Manipur Police to pull up even a single suspect even though it has been 38 days since Surmila was found murdered and abandoned, people of Chandanpokpi took out a protest rally today and they decided to stay away from the forthcoming Lok Sabha election if the killers are not arrested before the poll.

10 year old Surmila who was mute and deaf went missing since January 22 and she was found murdered and abandoned under a culvert near Phaizol village just about half a kilometre away from Chandanpokpi village on January 31 .

Later, the JAC constituted against the killing submitted a memorandum to the Home Minister and the DGP.

In response, the Home Minister and the DGP reportedly assured the JAC that the murderers would be booked within the month of February.

But not a single suspect has been pulled up till date, decried JAC president Thiyam Jamini.

Blaming the State Government as well as the local MLA for doing nothing to bring justice to the brutal murder case, Jamini said that people of Chandanpokpi would stay away from the Lok Sabha election in Inner Manipur P/C if the murderers cannot be arrested before April 17 .

The protest rally which started from Chandanpokpi village wound up at the site where Surmila's body was found.

According to the Bishnupur SP, police have been working hard to pull up all the people involved in the murder of Surmila.

Citing post mortem report, the SP said that the girl was subjected to sexual assault.

But the motive of the brutal murder is still not clear.

Hours before Surmila's body was found under the culvert, her brothers and aunt searched under the same culvert but they found nothing except one of Surmila's pair of slippers.

12 year old Ishingchaoba who reportedly met Surmila in the evening of January 22 and his father were summoned by police for questioning.

On the same day, Kumbi Police also took away Surmila's father asking him to identify the spot where Surmila's slipper was discovered.

That night, local people and police again searched the area around the culvert using generator set and the search team found Surmila's body under the culvert.

On seeing his daughter's lifeless body, the father lost consciousness.

When police retrieved Surmila's body, none of the JAC members or forensic experts were allowed to inspect the corpse.

The manner police retrieved the girl's body was suspicious, said the JAC.

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