IMPHAL: A 27-year-old male, Khoisnam Sanajaoba of Khurai Ningthoubung Leikai, was found dead in judicial custody, leading to widespread protests and public outrage in the Imphal East district of Manipur.
The incident has led to serious questions regarding custodial treatment and human rights abuses in the state.
Sanajaoba was arrested by the Imphal East district police on March 31 from Lamlong Bridge. The authorities alleged his arrest had something to do with suspected anti-social activities and suspected links with the banned KCP-Noyon group.
He was among five people arrested in the drive against extortion, in which arms and ammunition are said to have been recovered.
After his arrest, Sanajaoba was brought before an executive magistrate and then remanded to ten days of judicial custody. On April 10, however, his family received a shock notice from the police that he had been taken to a hospital in an emergency.
When they went there, they were dismayed to find out that he had already passed away. His body is still at the hospital mortuary as his family and neighbors have refused to take it unless their demands are met.
The details of how he died are still unknown, and the blanket silence maintained by the authorities only served to encourage rumors and violence. As a reaction, there was a sit-in demonstration arranged at Khurai by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) established to try and get Sanajaoba justice.
JAC Convenor Laishram Kumari has demanded strict legal action against the perpetrators of Sanajaoba's death. She also demanded a complete video recording of the post-mortem procedure and the presence of a JAC representative during the process for transparency.
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