IMPHAL: Angry locals took to the streets here on Wednesday seeking a CBI probe into the killing of Manipur Board of Secondary Education (MBSE) chairman Naorem Kunjabihari Singh.
The 60-year-old MBSE chairman was shot dead by unidentified men inside his office at Babupara, a high security zone, here Tuesday afternoon. A group of people from Kakwa, Kunjabihari's locality, blocked NH 39 in protest against the murder. They threatened to step up their protest if the government failed to catch the murderers by Friday. They also formed a joint action committee to carry out their agitation.
In a memorandum submitted to the chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, the committee asked for an autopsy on Kunjabihari's body, which is currently being kept at the mortuary of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), under video coverage and in the presence of a doctor and a legal expert engaged by the committee. It also sought financial assistance for Kunjabihari's family.
On the other hand, some locals stormed the MBSE office and damaged some vehicles parked there. They suspected the involvement of some MBSE employees in the murder.
A senior police official said it's too early to say who killed Kunjabihari. "Our probe is still on," he added.
Kunjabihari was made chairman of the MBSE about three months ago. Before this, he had served as secretary of the Council of Higher Secondary Education of Manipur for five years.
Local MLA O Joy Singh (Manipur People's Party) did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of some junior officials in the murder.
He said, "Kunajbihari was the only officer who fulfilled service rules to get such a high post. Some officers, who were less qualified than him, might have played a role in the murder."
Condemning the killing, the Manipur Students' Federation said the way the assailants shot dead Kunjabihari had exposed the "inefficiency" of the government.