Manipur encounter findings to be submitted

IMPHAL, March 31 – Justice PG Agarwal Commission of Inquiry investigating into the death of a pregnant woman and a youth in a suspected “fake encounter” on July 23, 2009, in Imphal, wherein the State police has been implicated, has concluded its probe here on Tuesday.

A full report on the findings of the Commission will be handed over to the State Government sometime in the third week of April, confirmed Justice (retd) PG Agarwal here yesterday.

The Commission which was instituted on August 27, 2009, has been investigating into the circumstances leading to the July 23 killings. On that fateful day of July 23, 2009, Ch Sanjit, a former rebel cadet and Th Rabina, a pregnant woman, were killed in an alleged fake encounter while five other passers-by sustained injuries.

On the concluding day of the commission hearing, senior advocate N Kumarjit Singh submitted a written argument on behalf of the Police department.

“From the statement of witnesses and the report of Forensic Science Laboratory, it is very clear that there was an incident of firing between an armed youth and two commando personnel in Imphal on July 23, 2009, and in the cross firing, five persons sustained bullet injuries and a woman Rabina Devi was killed by a bullet and a youth namely Sanjit Meitei was found dead inside the godown of Social Time Emporium,” said the written submission from the counsel.

Significantly, the sequence of photographs that appeared in Tehelka seems to point at a different story as against the claim of the police department according to which Sanjit was photographed by a local photographer while being led into a pharmacy by some police personnel before dragging him out dead.

The counsel of the police contradicted the authenticity of the photographs that appeared in Tehelka saying that a senior scientific officer and assistant chemical examiner to the Government of India, CFSL, CBI, New Delhi, has confirmed that out of the 12 photographs, No. 1 to 6 were taken on July 23, 2009, but photograph No. 7 was taken at the same time without mentioning the date. The expert has also been quoted as confirming that while photograph No. 8 was taken on December 23, 2008, rest of the photographs numbering from 9 to 12 were taken on July 23.

According to the submission of the counsel of the police, there are inconsistencies in the photographs that appeared in Tehelka.