BJP, CPI demand action in Imphal killings

The Manipur units of the BJP and the CPI have demanded resignation of the elected representatives and action against police officers involved in the killings of a housewife and a former insurgent in a staged shooting here on July 23, 2009.

Young housewife Rabina was fatally wounded while she was going with her three-year-old son to meet her husband, while former insurgent Chungkham Sanjit who had gone to buy medicine for his ailing father was killed in an "shootout" a few minutes later. However on January 25, head constable, Thounaojam Herojit, confessed to have shot Sanjit dead, but the question is who killed Rabina since Sanjit was unarmed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's state chief Thounaojam Chaoba said on Friday that he had apprised union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, and party chief Amit Shah of the actual happenings on the fateful day.

"The accused people should be tried and punished in such a way that there is no repeat of such reprehensible crimes in Manipur. The police officers should be booked now. On the other hand, those elected representatives whose names were mentioned should resign now".

The earlier police version was that insurgents had killed Rabina and that Sanjit was killed in the follow up action. But photographs had appeared to show that Sanjit was unarmed when some policemen cornered him, pushed inside a chemist's shop and dragged out after some minutes of the "gunfight". Herojit had disclosed that he was ordered to bump off Sanjit in cold blood but his then superior police officer concerned has denied the allegation.

Communist Party of India state secretary Moirangthem Nara demanded the suspension of the police officers whose names had been mentioned, and also sought a clarification from the elected members since their names were mentioned.

Though the name of the Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh was mentioned in the confessional statement, he has so far not responded.