Brutal murder of SDO and two subordinates
JAC decries 'communal insinuation'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 07 2009: The Joint Action Committee Against the Brutal Killing of Dr Kishan Singh, Y Token and A Rajen Sharma has expressed strong reservations against 'some insinuation incorporated' in the transfer petition submitted by the CBI to the Supreme Court on an 'unusual ground that the accused Hopeson Ningshen could not be produced in the designated Court in Manipur fearing communal backlash by Meiteis on Nagas'.

Citation given to Kishan by Shanmugam Manjunath Trust

Reproducing the extracts of the letter written to the CBI by the Police Department, Government of Manipur, the JAC has also contended that assertion of the State administration that law and order situation in Manipur is not conducive to bring the accused to Manipur.

In a statement, chairperson of the JAC Lt Col (Retd) S Tikendrajit Singh pointed out that the brutal muder of SDO Dr Th Kishan and his staff Y Token and A Rajen were condemned vehemently both by the people living in plain and hills of Manipur alike.

Hence, the apprehension of an ethnic clash between Meiteis and Nagas after four months of the incident is far from the ground reality.

Noting that when Hopeson Ningshen was brought to Imphal to appear before the CJM Ukhrul on May 29, 2009 only five family members of the deceased Government official were present at Imphal airport, the chairperson said the presence of media men at the airport were altogether a different story.

However, there was a large posse of CRPF and State Police personnel in the airport headed by Imphal West SSP.

The report about arrival of Hopeson was conveyed to media personnel by their counterparts from Nagaland and the family members reached the airport on being informed by the media personnel.

So the contention of the State Police Department that 'a mob of considerable strength gathered near the airport with intention to cause harm to Shri Hopeson Ningshen' is only a figment of imagination, Tikendrajit said.

He further said that the contention of the SP CBI that 'sense of insecurity prevailed in Imphal airport and Sri Ningshen had to be shifted out of Manipur immediately for his safety' is contradictory to the permission granted by CJM Ukhrul M Manoj Kumar Singh to CBI for taking the accused outfit the territory of Manipur 'to enable proper investigation if necessary' while grasnting 15 days police remand on May 29, 2009 .

In the contents of fact of the case submitted by the CBI to the Supreme Court, it was also clearly mentioned that the accused Hopeson Ningshen was brought to Imphal airport on way to transfer him to Delhi for investigation, the JAC asserted, adding that the shifting of Hopeson Ningshen to Delhi was preplanned by CBI and it has nothing to do with his security or otherwise in Manipur.

No newspaper, local or National published anything regarding insecurity of Ningshen at Imphal airport much less a gathering of a mob to harm him, the JAC pointed out.

On the contention of the State Police that the 'very presence of Shri Ningshen in Manipur is likely to lead to serious law and order problem, breach of peace, violence and eminent threat to the life and safety of the accused', the JAC said it is far from truth.

When the general public of Manipur had clearly avoided giving communal tinge to the sad case of brutal murder it would be totally out of place to comprehend any communal backlash after four months of murder while the murderer is being produced before the court, the JAC contended.

The JAC prayed that if the State Police feel that the prison in Manipur is unsafe for its inmates, then the Supreme Chief Justice of Supreme Court should give suitable directives to the State Govt in this regard.

Will it fool anybody if the State abdicates its basic duty to safeguard its citizens by insinuating an imminent Meitei-Naga clash ?, the JAC asked.

The JAC also expressed its full confidence to the judiciary of the land to ensure a fair and speedy trial and observed that the extreme nature of the crime must not be lost out of sight and exemplary punishment should be awarded so that such heinous crimes are not perpetrated in the future.