IMPHAL: A court in Manipur on Thursday ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged death of a jeweller in police custody on May 4.
Chief judicial magistrate, Imphal West, Alek Muivah, directed the judicial magistrate first class/ Imphal West – II, Robert Lhungdim (MJS) to conduct judicial inquiry into the alleged custodial death of the jeweller and submit the report within two weeks.
On May 2 at around 9am, some police personnel in civil dress picked up the jeweller, Arambam Nanao, 37, of Sagolband Kangabam Leikai, from his residence on the charge of not returning borrowed gold. They allowed him to return home after some hours in police custody. But he reportedly collapsed and passed away in a hospital.
The victim’s mother, Arambam Kombirei Devi prayed the court for instituting an independent inquiry into the death of her son.
The mother alleged that at around 9 am on May 2, some 3 to 4 police personnel in civil dress took her son and one individual identifying himself as SI Jitendra of Imphal Police Station riding a white Honda Activa informed the family members that they should come to the Imphal Police Station. At around 10.30am she went to the Imphal Police Station but she was made to wait and at around 1.30pm SI Jitendra demanded her to bring ₹5 lakh before 4 pm for the release of her son.
When the family members were arranging the money, some police personnel brought her son home and took him to his room. None of the family members were allowed by the police personnel to meet or attend to him in his room, she alleged.
{{/usCountry}}When the family members were arranging the money, some police personnel brought her son home and took him to his room. None of the family members were allowed by the police personnel to meet or attend to him in his room, she alleged.
{{/usCountry}}She also alleged that after some time her son was taken out of his room in an unconscious state and rushed to the RIMS Hospital by two police personnel, of whom one was not wearing uniform. Her son died at reaching the hospital and later on, the petitioner came to know that her son was beaten and tortured in the police station as there were so many visible bruises and contusions all over his body.
It may be mentioned that the sub-inspector of Manipur police Th Jitendro Singh was suspended on May 3 in connection with the death of the man in police custody, allegedly after brutal torture by the Imphal West district police.
Further, he was arrested and produced before the court on Thursday with a prayer for six days’ police custody. The chief judicial magistrate, Imphal West, Alek Muivah remanded SI Jitendro into six days’ police custody till May 10 after considering the allegations.