In Pictures: Indian Police Murder Chongkham Sanjit

IN Imphal, the capital of India’s Manipur region, barely 500 metres from the state assembly, Chongkham Sanjit, 27, is murdered by Manipur’s Rapid Action Police Force, commonly known as the Manipur Police Commandos (MPC).

Also killed is Rabina Devi, a pregnant bystander, She was killed by the police firing as they chased.

Sanjit is known to be a former member of the People’s Liberation Army. Teresa Rehman takes up the story:

According to the official version of Sanjit’s encounter death at 10:30am on July 23, a team of MPC personnel was conducting frisking operations in Imphal’s Khwairamband Keithel market. They saw a suspicious youth coming from the direction of the Uripok locality. When asked to stop, the version goes, the youth suddenly pulled out a gun and ran away, firing at the public in a bid to evade the police.

Do you see the gun?

The official record states that the youth was finally cornered inside Maimu Pharmacy near Gambhir Singh Shopping Arcade. He was asked to surrender. Instead, he fired at the police. The police retaliated and the youth was killed. The account states that a 9mm Mauser pistol was “recovered”. The youth was identified from his driver’s license as Chongkham Sanjit, son of Chongkham Khelson of Kongpal Sajor Leikai, Manipur.

A local photographer provides their own evidence to Tehelka magazine.

VisionMp reports that:

“Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Wednesday ordered a judicial probe into the alleged fake encounter and ordered the immediate suspension of six policemen involved in the incident.”

The pictures are shocking – but the truth often is…