July 23, Khawairamband Bazar fake encounter, testimony of Ch Sanjit's mother

Testimony of Smt. Chungkham (O) Inaotombi Devi

I, Chungkham (O) Inaotombi Devi aged about 47 years, W/O  Chungkham Khelen Singh, R/O Khurai ChingangbamLeikai, P.S Porompat, Imphal East District, 795010, would like to share the painful memories of how my son was killed by the Manipur Police Commandos during broad daylight on 23^rd July 2009.

My eldest son Sanjit works as house painter when he was alive and looks after his two younger brothers with his earnings. At night he works as an attendant at Raj Polyclinic, North A.O.C. He takes care of the financial maintenance of our family without any complaint. My husband operates a mechanical workshop at Maram and we often visit the place. Sanjit was quiet and good natured person and he hardly mingles around with people.

Sanjit’s uncle (My husband’s elder Brother) was admitted at JNIMS Porompat for an ailment and he was taking care of him in the Hospital. The day he was assassinated by the commandos, he went to buy medicine and fresh apples from Khwairamband Bazaar as it was not available at Porompat. He went in an autorickshaw and while he was approaching towards Maimu Pharmacy, the police suddenly arrested him without issuing any arrest memo and searched his body for concealed weapons.  The group of commandos involved in his assassination took him inside the Maimu Pharmacy and thrashed him fatally before shooting him at point blank.  One of the Commandos lifted up his shirt and shot him mercilessly in the stomach killing him instantly inside the pharmacy. The commandos pretended a fake encounter and shot several rounds of gunfire and during the staged encounter, a pregnant woman (Rabina) was killed and several people were also injured.

Sanjit had called us before he went to the market for buying the medicine and informed me that he was feeling hungry. We heard that there was a shootout at Khwairamband Bazaar near the over bridge and one insurgent along with one pregnant women had been killed. He neither phoned back nor returned back to the Hospital, therefore, one of our relatives went to the Bazaar to check if he was involved in the shootout.  We confirmed from the morgue that Sanjit was killed during the encounter, when a person at the Hospital, showed a mobile footage of Sanjit killed in the encounter. I fainted on hearing the news and I have never been the same from the day he was killed. From the day my son died, my life underwent a complete change both physically and mentally.

The consequences that happened to me and to our State after the assassination of my son Sanjit by the police Commandos were unimaginable. There were series of bandhs, dharna, rallies, casualties inflicted to protestors and so on. The State was in turmoil owing to the fake encounter staged by the police Commandos on 23^rd July 2009. One thoughtful person had filmed the activities of the Police while they were in the act of arresting and taking him inside the pharmacy and later killing him in a staged encounter when he was not carrying any weapon. The said footage was given to the Tehelka magazine and the follow up inquiry consequently led to the arrest and trial of the involved commandos.

After the incident, I suffered grievously and faced mental traumas. My health deteriorated adversely and I experienced behavioral changes, I became more unrestrained on seeing the police commandos. I get extremely angry and shout whenever I see them. I fainted regularly, my blood pressure was low most of the time, loss of appetite for three months accompanied with kidney failure .Whenever I see his clothes I would cry bitterly remembering his face. I refused to take sleeping pills and other medicines for my ailment. I was on hospitalized for many days to regain my strength. Many people came to console me and I started changing my attitude and confidence developed within me afterwards. I realized I won’t be able to join the fight against the police for justice, if I am bedridden.

In my dreams I kept seeing my son, he would be asking for food and for his clothes which he had worn on the day he was killed. I would often feel his presence inside our house, so I called a pundit (maiba) and performed a ritual in our courtyard offering food and other items for the spirit. One night I went to Lamlong Bridge and dropped all the clothes at Imphal river.  I literally fought with the policemen on the Khurai Streets when they came to disrupt the protest. I shouted to them, how they would react if their son or daughter were killed.  I was not allowed to perform pooja and offering of flowers at Maimu pharmacy by the policemen stationed outside the pharmacy.  The owner of the pharmacy who saw the incident refused to share the truth of how my son was killed. I faced much harassment from the policemen when I came out to protest for my son.

I am glad many people supported me during the heated agitation against the government. Our case is under investigation by the CBI and the case is pending before the trial court. I am waiting for revenge against the nine policemen who are involved in murder of my son Sanjit. If the investigation and the justice favor the policemen I would take personal revenge against the nine commandos involved in the murder, even if I am jailed. I have developed the tendency to commit suicide outside the residence of the Chief Minister of our State, if they plead my son as guilty.

Presently, I cannot perform any heavy work owing to kidney failure. I get dizzy and cramps in the stomach develop. I am taking medicines regularly to keep myself fit. I have to sustain myself to seek revenge for the guilty policemen. My husband and two of my sons are there to help me all the time.

This type of incident are common in our state and it should not happen again in others family. The security forces, whether they are the Assam Rifles or the state Commandos, should stop killing father, husband and sons of Manipur.