An official said that Imphal West’s District Magistrate Shamim Ahmad Shah in a notification on Tuesday requested the interested people to give oral evidence or produce any material and documents about the death before the inquiry officer on or before November 8.
The 48-year-old Bashanti Devi, a widow and her minor daughter were found dead at their residence in Manipur’s Imphal West district on September 22.
Several voluntary and civil society organisations, including the Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) launched agitations demanding an investigation of the deaths with the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
After that, an agreement was signed on October 27 between the state government and the JAC against the unnatural death of the woman and her minor daughter.
The Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) took suo-moto cognizance of the incident involving unnatural deaths.The mother and her daughter were found dead under mysterious circumstances at their residence at Haoreibi Mayai Leikai, about 16 km from Imphal City on September 22.The JAC initially refused to collect the dead bodies, but following the agreement with the government, the bodies were claimed and the last rites of the duo were performed on Sunday (October 27).
Manipur Police have arrested nine cadres of two militant outfits from Thoubal and Imphal West districts for forceful collection of money from people and traders besides threatening the residents, the police said on Tuesday.
A police officer said that eight hardcore cadres of the United National Liberation Front (Pambei) outfit from Thoubal District on Monday night were arrested as they were indulging in illegal activities by threatening them with sophisticated arms and restraining the legal land demarcation process in the district.
Several sophisticated arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the UNLF (P) militants, aged between 24 and 46.
The arms and ammunition recovered from the UNLF (P) ultras include, three AK 47 Rifles, two AK 56 Rifles, one M-16 Rifle, one 9 mm Pistol, 147 AK 47 live round ammunition, 20 M-16 live round ammunition, 25 number of 9 mm live round ammunition, 16 mobile handsets and one SUV without registration number.
The UNLF (P), founded in 1964, despite signing a ceasefire agreement with the government, the outfit’s members are increasingly involved in various illegal activities.
Manipur Police also arrested a hard core cadre of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from Keishamthong in Imphal West district.
The PLA militant was identified as Moirangthem Maniton Singh (29).
The PLA cadre confessed to the police interrogators that he was involved in extortion activities in the Imphal.
