Naga bodies to continue agitations demanding arrest of culprits
IMPHAL, Oct 15: The missing severed head of the Naga man which was allegedly taken away after he was killed during an attack on Makui village in Kangpokpi district on October 10, was recovered late on Tuesday night, officials said on Wednesday.
It was deposited at JNIMS hospital morgue in Imphal where the headless mortal remains were transferred on the next day of the deadly attack early Thursday morning.
Ajinpou Ringkangmai (52) who was among the four persons killed in the attack and his head was missing when the police retrieved his lifeless body from the spot along with the other three.
The police transferred the headless mortal remains along with that of Dibambou Ringkangmai (48), another victim of the deadly attack at JNIMS morgue in Imphal on last Sunday after the family backed by Joint Tribes Council Manipur (JTCM), an apex body representing the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei and Zeme communities, refused to accept for his last rites.
The body of Dibambou whose head was severely deformed was also at the same morgue.
The source said that the severed head of Ajinpou was discovered by the joint force of CRPF and local police that launched the search operation at Makui Ashang and its adjoining areas and it was discovered after about six hours of search in the area late Wednesday night.
Notably, a video which was widely circulated on social media subsequently after the deadly attack allegedly showed the beheading of Ajinpou and the removal of his severed head by the attackers.
The footage purportedly showed the head being placed at a bunker attributed to Kuki militants.
The recovery of the severed head came before the expiry of a 48-hour deadline set by JTCM to the authorities to recover the missing head and the arrest of those responsible for the October 10 killings.
Following the recovery, the pending post-mortem examinations on the dead bodies of the two victims – Ajinpou Ringkamai and Dibambou Ringkangmai – were conducted today.
The post-mortem examinations were suspended after it was prevented by the JTCM demanding that the missing head be recovered and returned to the bereaved family before the examinations are conducted.
The JTCM, however, decided to continue its agitation, pressing the authorities to arrest the assailants. Among others, the apex body accused Thangboi Kipgen, David Hangsing and Dr Sailen Haokip as the perpetrators.
Mathiuchunbou Rimai, president of the Liangmai Students’ Union, Manipur who was among several leaders of the Naga based CSOs turned up at JNIMS morgue on Thursday morning informed the media that the severed head was transferred in the wee hours of Thursday, around 1.30 am.
He accused the authorities of failing to act against those responsible and alleged that armed groups were operating with impunity under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.
He held the Centre and the state government accountable for what it described as a failure to ensure justice.