Manipur govt to hand over drug haul case to central agency

Imphal: The Manipur government is considering handing over the recent case of illicit drug seizure, in which a Colonel-rank Defence PRO and five others were arrested, to a central agency dealing with drug control, a senior minister has said.

"The seizure of illicit drugs worth about Rs 24-25 crores on Sunday last indicates that the illegal trade has been going on for a long time. We are considering to hand over this case to a central agency dealing with drug control to find out those involved in it so that the traffickers, big or small, can be punished," Manipur Home Minister Gaikhangam said here yesterday.

Gaikhangam said the State Cabinet would soon take a decision on this issue.

Defence PRO Colonel Ajay Choudhury and five others were arrested on Sunday for allegedly transporting illicit drugs estimated at over Rs 24 crore for smuggling to Myanmar, police said.

Gaikhangam said the state government has also asked the central industrial security force (CISF) personnel who are on duty at Imphal airport to be very vigilant since the seizure of illicit drugs worth about Rs 1.50 crores at the airport about two weeks back and a suspect who was standing near the packets was picked up for questioning.

He said the CBI would be asked to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, cases of drug seizures have united political parties and various social organisations to put pressure on the state government to find out the kingpins of this illegal trade.

Secretary of the CPI Manipur unit and senior leader, M Nara, said the case has added fuel to the suspicion of the general public that there was the hands of higher officials in drug trafficking.

"There is a social crisis in the state of Manipur. It is time for a social democratic revolution in the state. Drug peddling is a factor which will crumble the society," he said. President of a major social organisation, the Apunba Manpiur Kanba Ima Lup (AMKIL), United Mothers' Association to Protect Manipur said the government should immediately bring out to the notice of the general public the minister(s) or officers concerned involved in the illegal drug trade.

President of the Manipur People's Party (MPP) Sobha Kiran said Manipur has urged the government to do something to book those kingpins involved in the illegal trade.

S Ramani, the secretary of major social organisation Nupi Samaj (Women's society), said VIPs were involved in drug trafficking.

At least 14 major social organisations including AMKIL had submitted a memorandum to Governor Gurbachan Jagat recently urging the latter to initiate steps to book all the culprits involved in the drug trade.

All major political parties including Congress during a joint meeting have decided to take up the 'drug racket issue' at the national level.

MLA’s son arrested in Manipur drugs case

IMPHAL, Feb 28 – In the follow up investigation into seizure of contraband drugs from an Army Lt Colonel and five others, Manipur police has picked up the son of a senior Congress MLA along with a huge quantity of drugs.

Police said they rounded up Saikholen Haokip (35), son of Congress MLA TN Haokip based on information provided by Lt Colonel Ajay Choudhary of Bihar Regiment, who was posted in Manipur as Army PRO, on Monday night.

The army officer and five others were caught on Sunday for transporting psychotropic substances worth more than Rs 15 crores to Moreh town bordering Myanmar, from Imphal.

Police claimed to have recovered 2,316 strips of psychotropic drug Pseudoephedrine tablets including Ketamine hydrochloride injection IP and Extamine 500 mg packed in four huge cartons from the MLA’s private house at Dewlahland here.

He was booked under Section 21/29 of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1988. The MLA’s son was remanded to police custody till March 8 after being produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Thoubal district on Tuesday evening.

All the seven arrested persons including the Army officer will be produced before the Special Court of NDPS in Imphal on March 8.

Meanwhile, the Congress MLA TN Haokip clarified that he has no connection with the seizure of drugs as his son was not with him for years. He demanded an inquiry into the incident by an independent body to find out the owner of the seized drugs.

Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam told reporters today that the government was considering to hand over the case to Central agencies like CBI or Narcotics Control Bureau to find out the facts and punish the involved persons.

Meanwhile, the BJP Mahila Morcha organised a sit-in here demanding immediate punishment to the drug smugglers. A memorandum has also been submitted to Manipur Governor Gurbachan Jagat in this regard.

PTI adds: The MLA said his son should be punished.

A former Irrigation and Flood Control Minister, the MLA told reporters here that he resided in government quarters at the ministerial complex at Babupara and had no role in the affair.

He said the house at Deulaland, from where his son was arrested, belonged to Seikholen with whom he had no relations for the past few years.

“There is no question of relations, friends or others while the case is in court,” he said.

He said the government should reward the policemen who arrested Defence PRO Ajay Chaudhury, five persons and later his son for their alleged involvement in attempting to smuggle out illicit drugs to Myanmar.

“Manipur society is degenerating fast because of illicit use of drugs by the youth,” he added.

Illegal arms dealer arrested in Manipur

Imphal, Feb 28 : An illegal arms dealer was arrested after a large number of weapons were allegedly found in his possession during a massive search operation in Imphal east district of Manipur.

Superintendent of Police (Imphal east district) Kamei Angam said following a tip-off, a police team led by officer in charge of district commandos inspector Achouba Meitei searched Shingjamei Bheigyabati Leikai area near here yesterday.

During the operation, an arms dealer identified as Khetrimayum Umakanta (44) was arrested. A single barrel country-made rifle, two country-made pistols, one country-made air pistol and large number of ammunition were recovered from his possession.

Angam said Umakanta allegedly manufactured the country-made weapons.He is in police custody for further interrogation.

In another incident, Imphal east district police commandos yesterday arrested three militants of Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Task Force) during search operation at Wangkhei Ayang Palli area in the district, police said.

Sources identified the militants as N Gogonbihari (25), L Bobi (35) and LisamAbung (21). Two mobile phones, party's extortion letters and some other underground materials were recovered from them.

Visa on arrival for Myanmarese: Manipur CM

The Centre has decided to provide visa on arrival at Moreh for the Myanmarese seeking medical treatment, Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh announced at the flag-off of the BCIM rally in Imphal.
   
"As a first step towards easing of restrictions, the government
has decided to provide Visa on arrival at Moreh for the Myanmarese," he said flagging off the rally at Kangla Fort on Wednesday.
   
Addressing the gathering, Singh said the restrictions in the movement of goods and services and people across the border need to be eased.
   
"We are looking at the opening up of road and rail passages to Bangladesh through Tripura so that our goods can be exported by using the ports of Bangladesh," the chief minister said.
   
The rally on Wednesday set off on its sixth stage from Imphal to Ka Lay in Myanmar.
   
CII chairman (eastern region) R K Agrawal hoped that the rally would revive ancient links and also forge new ties.
   
"It would also highlight the potential of northeast and explore cross-border land trade. CII is priviledged to partner the rally and have all the governments in its side," he added.
   
Karl Slym, MD Tata Motors, who joined the rally here along with his wife, said two Englishmen are also supporting the rally.
   
"This is my first trip to the area and we are planning on a holiday out here. This is about an area of the world that has not witnessed the kind of growth that metros experience.

We all are looking  forward to driving," he added.
   
Hundreds of school children holding flags and flowers lined up at the Kangla Fort street to send off the rally this morning.
   
12-day rally will then proceed to Myanmar and culminate at Kunming, in the Yunnan province of China on March 5.

Earlier, in the wake of threat calls by Kuki tribe in Manipur, the BCIM Car Rally passed through the northeastern state amid unprecedented security.
   
"We have got the assurance from the highest level from the government of India. We don't see any trouble along the route anymore," Indian rally contingent head Sunil Misra said as the rally left Imphal, in the last stretch of India before entering Myanmar.
   
The Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) had earlier threatened to block the entry of the four-nation rally into 'Kuki areas' of the state with an indefinite public blockade in the tough 270-km NH-53 stretch from Silchar to Imphal.
   
Paramilitary personnel were stationed along the entire stretch from Silchar to Imphal as the cavalcade of 20 cars took more than 14 hours to cover the treacherous hilly terrain.
   
All along the route, the villagers came out in large numbers waving and cheering at the convoy.
   
The car rally, which has a motto of 'Building Bonds, Fostering Friendship', is focused to play a catalysis in stimulating interest of the concerned stakeholders in deepening BCIM cooperation.
   
3028-km rally's next stop is Ka Lay before heading to Mandalay, Ruili and then to Tengchong, Dali and Kunming in China where it is scheduled to culminate on March 5.

Haul exposes demand for illicit party drug in Myanmar

NEW DELHI: The arrest of a Lt Colonel with banned drug pseudo-ephedrine worth crores of rupees in Manipur has brought to the fore the massive demand for the drug in Myanmar, where drug cartels use it to manufacture party drug meth-amphetamine.

Sources say Myanmar's reform push has heightened the demand for the drug in the country as the reconciliation process, which has led to ceasefire between Myanmarese government and several militias belonging to various ethnic groups, has pushed many fringe outfits to ramp up the production of drugs, especially meth-amphetamine.

In the past few months CISF has arrested over a dozen people from the north-east and seized close to 500 kg of pseudo-ephedrine at IGI Airport here. All these consignments were headed to Manipur, Mizoram or Guwahati from where they would be smuggled to Myanmar.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) alone has seized over one crore tablets of pseudo-ephedrine over the last one year with much of it headed to Myanmar. The latest case in point of Lt Col Ajay Chaudhary, posted as defence public relations officer in Imphal, arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle pseudo-ephedrine worth Rs 24 crore, is a reflection of how lucrative the business has become.

An NCB official said, "Myanmar has become a global hub of methamphetamine production. Smuggling of pseudo-ephedrine to the country has gone up alarmingly in the past few months because of high demand and lucrative prices being offered."

The official added that Myanmar drug cartels use pseudo-ephedrine to manufacture meth-amphetamine, which is then pushed back into India and Thailand.

Sources in the intelligence apparatus say while Myanmar traditionally has been a narcotics hub; production of chemical drugs has increased after President Thein Sein's reconciliation process of wooing ethnic groups to sign ceasefire pacts.

"This has led to two things. One, the former militias are free and have no other job but to manufacture drugs, which they did earlier to fund their activities. Second, with democratic process surging ahead, the groups want to make as much money as possible while the situation is conducive," explained an intelligence official.

Besides, the Myanmarese government is believed to have reached an unwritten agreement with the militia groups to allow them to intensify their drug manufacturing in lieu of a ceasefire.

"All this is having an impact on Indian market. Due to the demand in illicit market, massive amount of pseudo-ephedrine is being pilfered from factories based in Himachal Pradesh and the distribution networks," added the NCB official.

Drugs seized at Imphal airport

IMPHAL, Feb 26 – Close on the heels of arrest of an army officer and five others for carrying contraband drugs worth Rs 15 crores yesterday, the Manipur Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) team have detected a consignment of drugs at the Tulihal airport here, Police said today.

Acting on specific information that some illegal drugs are being transported through air cargo, an NAB team rushed to Tulihal airport here and seized a consignment of contraband drugs at around 3.35 pm today, said a press release.

One non-Manipuri youth in his early thirties was arrested along with the suspected consignment. The youth, identified as one Rajkumar Rai of Thangal Bazar here and hailing from Bihar was detained. On checking the consignment covered by white plastic gunny bag, the team found over a lakh Petas-TR tablets Pseudoephedrine in three cartons.

Though no sender’s name was written on the consignment, “Mr R Kumar, Thangal Bazaar,Imphal Manipur (M)986224566” was written on the consignment.

The estimated cost of the drugs is around Rs 8 lakhs. According to police, the seized drugs were to be used in manufacturing a psychotropic substances called ‘WY’ somewhere in south Asian countries.

Meanwhile, the army officer and five others who were detained along with Rs 15 crore worth of contraband drugs here yesterday, have been remanded to police custody for 12 days by the Chief Judicial Magistrate this afternoon, sources added.

In India’s remote northeast, civilians challenge rape, killing by security forces

Simon Denyer/The Washington Post - Irom Sharmila arrives for a fortnightly court appearance, flanked by two police officers, in the northeastern Indian city of Imphal on Feb. 7, 2013. Sharmila began a hunger strike in 2000 to protest against a controversial law that grants the Indian army virtual impunity from prosecution.

By Simon Denyer

IMPHAL, India — Tens of thousands of Indian troops are deployed to these remote borderlands, their mission to fight a decades-long armed separatist rebellion.
But for years, residents here have alleged that security forces have also waged a separate war of rape and murder of civilians, one they continue with impunity because federal law virtually prohibits the prosecution of soldiers in conflict zones.

Now, 1,500 miles away in the capital of New Delhi, there is a new demand to change that. A committee established last month in the wake of mass protests over a gruesome gang rape recommended that the law be reexamined. At the very least, the Justice Verma Committee said, soldiers accused of rape should be tried under civilian law.
But the government has dragged its feet. Although it implemented many of the committee’s suggestions for new protections for women in an emergency ordinance passed this month, the recommendation to curb the armed forces’ immunity was set aside. The government said it was reluctant to tell the army what to do.
While the New Delhi protests prompted India to reexamine its treatment of women, the debate over soldiers’ immunity — and the dark history in the border region — have underscored the limits of the power of India’s democracy to effect change when it comes up against entrenched vested interests such as the army, a supposedly apolitical institution that wields significant influence.
“We can’t move forward because there is no consensus,” Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said in a recent speech on national security, according to local media reports.
Referring to the immunity law by its full name, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, Chidambaram continued: “The present and former army chiefs have taken a strong position that the act should not be amended. . . . How does the government move forward . . . to make the AFSPA a more humanitarian law?”
The Defense Ministry declined to comment.
Here in the state of Manipur, where a local human rights group has documented 1,528 alleged extrajudicial executions and many cases of rape and sexual assault carried out by the police and army in the past three decades, the stalling of momentum has caused little surprise.
In 2004, soldiers arrested 32-year-old Thangjam Manorama Devi in the early morning, then left her bruised and bullet-ridden body by the roadside a few hours later. Police forensics experts concluded that she had been tortured and shot at close range while lying down. They also found evidence that she might have been raped.
For months afterward, the tiny hill state on the border with Burma erupted in protest. A group of women made national headlines when they stripped naked in front of an army barracks and held up a large banner that read “Indian army rape us.”
But the Manipur incident changed nothing.
For eight years, the Indian government has blocked the release of a judicial investigation into Manorama’s death, fighting a long legal battle that has now reached the Supreme Court, nor has it made any move to prosecute those responsible.

Manipur decides to corporatize power department

IMPHAL: The cabinet has decided to convert the power department into a corporation. It also resolved to put a ban on storage, sale and consumption of smokeless tobacco products. The government has been supplying power four to five hours in a day to the people since the last few years forcing middle-class consumers to procure generators to meet their daily needs. Owing to the abysmal power supply, many industrial units in Imphal are dysfunctional. To ensure effective power tariff collection, the government has already begun a pre-paid metre system in some parts of Imphal city where additional power is supplied to customers.

Chaired by chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, the cabinet meeting on Thursday evening studied an assessment report submitted by SBI CAP, which was hired by the state government as a consultant in the matter.

The meeting agreed to set up two separate companies, one for handling distribution of power and the other to handle generation and transmission, official sources said.

Manipur to ban tobacco products

The Manipur Cabinet has decided to ban sale of cigarettes and all tobacco products in Manipur. The government is to issue a notification in this regard. In the past, the government had banned smoking at public places.

However, the order was never enforced. Manipur records the second highest number of persons who are hooked to smoking and tobacco in the NE region.

Manipur students suspend stir after govt promises talks

IMPHAL: The agitating All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (Atsum), which stopped the ongoing rail project in Manipur, suspended the stir temporarily from Sunday evening after the state government assured to hold talks over Atsum's demands on Saturday.

In pursuit of its demand for all-round development and effective governance in the hills, Atsum on February 3 began the second phase of its stir with the target of closing down all central projects in the tribal-dominated areas.

The stir paralyzed the Jiribam-Imphal rail line construction in Tamenglong district though no machinery of the project was damaged.

"The government sent two (tribal) representatives - a minister and a legislator - and a meeting was held with Atsum representatives including me at the legislator's official residence in Imphal. As requested by them, it was agreed to hold talks with the state government on Saturday at 3pm," the apex tribal student body's speaker, Majabung Gangmei, told this reporter. "We are expecting a positive response from the government on our legitimate demands during the meeting. As requested by the two representatives, we have decided to temporarily suspend our agitation from Sunday evening at 6," he said.

If the government continues to ignore the demands during the talks, Atsum will resume the stir with more rigid activities anytime, Gangmei threatened.

Apart from setting up of Manipur State Commission for the Scheduled Tribes and B Ed centres in the hill districts, Atsum is demanding appointment of adequate teaching and non-teaching staff at all educational institutions with better infrastructure. The student body had called a 24-hour general strike ending January 19 midnight during which four vehicles were damaged.

Education in a mess in Manipur: Report

Imphal, Feb 14 : Tripura has the highest number of children going to government schools while Manipur has the highest number of kids in private schools among Northeast states, according to the annual status of education report (rural).

Leader of Opposition I. Ibohalbi Singh released the Manipur chapter of the report along with the all-India report here today, which revealed that 96 per cent children in Tripura in the age group of 7-16 were enrolled in government schools, while in Manipur, 66.7 per cent children in the same age group went to private schools.

The national government school enrolment percentage is 64.8.

Assam has the highest number of students — 4.6 per cent — in Class V who cannot read English alphabets. On the other end of the scale, Meghalaya has only 0.1 per cent of Class V students cannot read English alphabets. The national percentage stands at 12.5 per cent.

“It appears that no matter who is in power, private school enrolment is increasing until it hits a family’s budget constraints. Unless the quality of government schools improve substantially, the gap between children who attend them and the others will create a big divide in every aspect of life and opportunity,” the report said.

Talking about the Manipur situation, Singh said the education system in government schools in the state was going from bad to worse and the Manipur government should do something to change the situation.

“The education system in the state is at a critical juncture. We need a scientific study to find out the ills in the education system and make the remedies according to the findings. Otherwise, the future of Manipur is bleak,” he said.

Singh said education was a must if peace and normalcy were to be restored in the state. “As of now, Manipur appears to be a state without vision.”

N. Mohendra Singh, former member of the steering committee of Vision 2020 said Manipur lagged behind the rest of the country by 30 per cent in terms of growth rate.

“Unless the education system is improved at the primary level, Manipur will remain backward even 10 to 20 years from now.”

Mutum Ashok, consultant for the education report and the overall supervisor of the survey in Manipur, said parents did not send their children to government schools because they did not have confidence in teachers.

“While the learning outcomes in government schools in many states have declined rapidly, the private school performance in most states has remained steady,” the report said.

The report further said one of the problems in government schools was many teachers felt they had to wait for the higher authorities to say what was to be done.

Student grant in Sharmila name

New Delhi professor proposes fellowship

KHELEN THOKCHOM


Imphal, Feb. 7: Students coming to Delhi from states affected by the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, may soon be able to receive a proposed fellowship in the name of human rights crusader Irom Sharmila.

Nandini Sunder, a sociology professor of Delhi School of Economics, has sought permission from Sharmila to institute a fellowship in her name for students coming to Delhi from states affected by the army act.

Sharmila told reporters during her routine appearance at an Imphal court today that she received a letter from Sunder a few days back. “A professor from Delhi sought my permission to institute a yearly fellowship of Rs 50,000 in my name for students coming to Delhi from states affected by AFSPA.”

The professor is expected to work out details of the fellowship like criteria and other details after receiving her reply. Sharmila, however, is yet to respond to the request and she did not give any reply during the news conference.

Sharmila also welcomed the nationwide weeklong campaign planned by National Alliance for People’s Movement from March 8 to 14 in her support.

She reaffirmed her stand of not receiving any award conferred on her. “What I want is not awards. I want more support. It is only a matter of time before I achieve my goal. I also want to live like a normal person. So those who want to confer awards on me can come to Imphal and stand beside me after my release from jail and before re-arrest,” Sharmila said.

The army act, almost a carbon copy of a British ordinance, is applicable to the whole of Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir. The act was enforced in the then Naga hills for the first time in 1958 to contain Naga “hostiles”. Manipur was brought under the army act in 1980.Sharmila has been on fast since November 5, 2000, demanding repeal of the act, after 10 civilians were shot dead by Assam Rifles jawans at Malom in Imphal on November 1 of the same year.

She is likely to be freed on March 12 this year after completion of one-year jail for attempting to commit suicide. However, Sharmila is not prepared to end her fast even after coming out.

Human rights groups have welcomed the professor’s proposal. “We welcome the move and it is encouraging. Though the government turns a blind eye to Sharmila’s cause, more and more people are coming forward to support her,” Babloo Loitongbam, executive director of Human Rights Alert, Imphal, said.

Sharmila’s elder brother Irom Singhajit also welcomed the proposal. “I appreciate any effort to help students whether it is in the name of Sharmila or in any other way,” he said.

Manipur rebel group wishes to talk to CM Okram Ibobi Singh

IMPHAL: Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Wednesday said the underground Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, Military Defence Council (KYKL- MDF) sent feelers to him for holding talks with the government. "An individual, claiming to be a leader of the outfit, recently sent a feeler to me for holding talks with the government. He said the group has around 100 cadres," the chief minister said at a media conference on Wednesday.

"We welcome the initiatives of the outfit to come to the national mainstream," Singh said.

On being asked about a dialogue with the proscribed United Peoples' Party of Kangleipak (UPPK), around 45 of whose cadres surrendered with arms to the Assam Rifles, Ibobi Singh said so far there has been no move from their side for talks.

"In due course of time it may come forward for a dialogue," the chief minister said, lauding the cadres for coming to the national mainstream.

On Monday, the 45 UPPK cadre with 36 weapons and other 'war like stores' surrendered to the paramilitary forces. A couple of days before their surrender, the Coordinating Committee (Cor Com), a conglomerate of several underground outfits of the state announced the expelling of UPPK from its fold on various charges, including a nexus with the Indian army.

Assam Rifles said the entire group walked into the fold of peace as a demonstration of trust and confidence.

Meanwhile, a powerful IED planted by rebels near a bridge at Lilong in Thoubal district on Wednesday morning to target security forces movement was safely detonated by bomb experts of the Manipur police. Police sources said security has been beefed up in the district following the incident.

Activists demand withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Manipur

A week-long campaign will be launched across the country on March 8 to demand revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), an activist said in Imphal.

The Save Sharmila campaign by the National Alliance for People's Movement (NAPM) will be launched on International Women's Day.

Irom Sharmila Chanu, a human rights activist, has been on an indefinite hunger strike for nearly a decade in Manipur, demanding the withdrawal of AFSPA from the state.

"The campaign is to lend support to Sharmila's long-pending demand to repeal the draconian AFSPA in Manipur," Faisal Khan, coordinator of the Alliance and Save Sharmila campaign, said on Wednesday.

"The objective of the campaign is to create awareness among people of those states where the AFSPA is not in force. Such laws have created a void between the people of these states and the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur and other northeastern states, where AFSPA is in force," he added.

Khan's five attempts to meet her were thwarted by the state government. "We will seek permission to meet Sharmila on her birthday (March 14). If the government refuses to let us meet Sharmila, we will court arrest," Khan said.

Dubbed the 'Iron Lady of Manipur', Sharmila began her fast on November 2, 2000, after witnessing the killing of 10 people by the army at a bus stop.

She was arrested after she began her protest and was charged with attempt to suicide. She was sent to a prison hospital in Imphal where she has been force-fed via a nasal drip.

She is currently lodged in Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.

The AFSPA was passed in 1990 to grant special powers and immunity from prosecution to security forces to deal with raging insurgencies in northeastern states.

Amnesty International has campaigned vociferously against the legislation, which it sees as a violation of international human rights laws.

Several human rights groups, including the North East Students' Organisation, have also been demanding withdrawal of the AFSPA from the northeast.

However, army officials maintain that it is for the central and the state governments to decide whether to revoke or continue the AFSPA.

"Human right groups never speak against the violence committed against security forces. For the men in uniform, the AFSPA gives them human rights protection," said an army official involved in counter-insurgency operations in Manipur.

Meghalaya governor RS Mooshahary, who favoured the repeal of AFSPA, said, "The AFSPA should be repealed and the Criminal Procedure Code must be amended to protect the rights of security forces and civilians."

Rape cloud on 8-year-old’s murder

Imphal, Feb 5 : A forensic expert testified before the court of sessions judge, Manipur East, that eight-year-old Lungnila Elizabeth could have been raped before she died in 2003. Shock resulting from genital injuries could have been the cause of the girl’s death, he added.

The court of sessions judge M. Manojkumar Singh is holding the trial of the case of abduction and murder of Elizabeth, daughter of Francis Ngajokpa, who was then minister for taxation and general administration and is now rural development and panchayati raj minister. The CBI submitted its chargesheet in the case on January 3, 2008.

Unidentified persons abducted Elizabeth from the gate of Little Flower School here on November 4, 2003. Her highly decomposed body was found inside a gunny bag at Sadokpam village not very far from her school on November 12.

She was abducted for a ransom demand of Rs 15 lakh.

The CBI’s special crime branch, Calcutta examined 74 witnesses, including Francis, in the course of the investigation.

The CBI arrested James Kuki from Dimapur who had fled Manipur after the crime and three other accused in the case.

Immediately after the girl’s abduction, a ransom call was made to Francis’s residence, police said.

The CBI in its chargesheet named Thokchom Nando, alias Nanao, 25, Ningombam Rome Meitei, 35, Okram Deben, alias Arnold, 28, and Letkhosei Haokip, alias James Kuki, 34, as the accused in the abduction and murder. Of the four, Arnold died in jail, Rome is out on bail while Nando and Haokip are still in jail.

The chargesheet said the kidnappers had demanded Rs 15 lakh from the girl’s parents but they “tortured and killed” her even after taking Rs 10 lakh in two installments as ransom money.

Retired director of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) L. Fimate during his cross-examination in the court of sessions judge, Manipur East on January 28, said: “Cause of death, in my opinion, was shock resulting from vaginal injuries produced by blunt force which was homicidal in nature.”

Not ruling out rape, Fimate said there were vaginal injuries and also gave his opinion on possibility of the injuries caused by insertion of rod or stick like object. He did not rule out the possibility of the injuries because of forceful penile thrust.

Fimate was the head of department of forensic medicine department of RIMS when the post-mortem was conducted at the mortuary of the institute. He conducted the post-mortem on the day the body was recovered.

Fimate said there were several bruises on the girl’s legs.

He was the 27th of 74 witnesses listed in the CBI chargesheet.

The next hearing will be held on February 18.

Bandh affects normal life in Manipur

IMPHAL, Feb 5 – The ban on the construction of Imphal-Jiribam railway line and imposition of a 36-hour bandh on Imphal road has partially affected normal life in Manipur today.

The All Tribal Students Union (ATSUM) has banned all works related to construction of Imphal-Jiribam railway line with effect from Sunday midnight. They are demanding appointment of the State Commission for ST, setting up of B Ed centres in the hill districts and posting of adequate teaching and non-teaching staff in the educational institutions in the hill districts with better infrastructure, a spokesperson of ATSUM said.

They have submitted memorandum to the Chief Minister on two occasions, the first one on January 10 and again on January 17, to press the demands. However, the State Government has not fulfilled any of these demands even after calling a general strike on January 19, he said. So, ATSUM has decided to ban all national projects in the State including the ongoing railway line construction.

Meanwhile, the recovery of the body of a young father who went missing since last year end has evoked protest. Oinam Goroba (31) of Khurai Kongpal Chingangbam Leikai in Imphal East district went missing on December 10 last year.

The body of Goroda, a martial art teacher, was found near a wetland close to his locality. The locals have formed a Joint Action Committee and announced a 36 hour bandh along Tinsid road from 6 am of February 4.

Protest against hit-and-run VIP vehicle

IMPHAL, Feb 4 – Demanding justice in the killing of a school headmaster in a hit-and-run incident caused by a suspected VIP vehicle, students, teachers and womenfolk, besides representatives of various civil society organisations, staged a sit-in protest here yesterday.

Headmaster M Awungshi Nganaongai of Frontier High School, located at New Tusom village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district was allegedly hit by a VIP Scorpio vehicle here on December 18 last. He succumbed to his injures the following day.

“The VIP and his escort team deliberately absconded and the evasive act was supported by the security personnel on duty at Kangla Fort gate,” alleged Tangkhul Katamnao Long Imphal (TKLI), an apex body of Tangkhul students in Imphal, in an ultimatum served to the State Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh.

TKLI said one month has elapsed since the occurrence of the incident but the culprits are still at large and police have not been able to identify or apprehend them.

Demanding arrest of the accused VIP and punishment to the IRB personnel on duty, TKLI has urged the authority to immediately provide a government job to the next kin of the victim, besides ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh immediately.

Even after the expiry of TKLI’s notice on January 24, the government has failed to take necessary action till date, forcing the TKLI to take up the agitation.

“We will intensify our agitation”, warned the TKLI after Home Minister Gaikhangam failed to give any concrete assurance to fulfil their demands.

Poachers held: Two poachers involved in killing Sangai deer in the Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP) were caught by the park guards and handed over to police on Friday, reports said.

The poachers were caught while they were cooking the animal meat.

People For Animals (PFA), Thoubal has expressed serious concern over the report of killing of the rare species due to alleged negligence of the KLNP authority.

The PFA, in a statement, also urged the State’s policy makers to take necessary steps to conserve the wildlife in the State.