Cop guns down 32-year-old man at police outpost in Manipur

IMPHAL: Tension gripped the Leingangpokpi area in Jiribam district bordering Assam after a Manipur Rifles (MR) personnel allegedly gunned down a 32-year-old man inside a police commando outpost around 8.30 pm on Monday.

Protesting against the incident, a mob on Tuesday attacked the house of Loitam Arunta Singh, the policeman, in the Yairipok area of Thoubal district. He is a rifleman of 5 MR and is attached to the police commando unit, a police source said.

Though the motive behind the killing is yet to be ascertained immediately, sources said the deceased - Oinam Gandhi Singh (32) of Charangpat Bengi Mamang Leikai in the same district - was supposed to go to Imphal from Jiribam on Monday but missed the trip. Later, he visited the outpost to meet one of his relatives.

Around 8.20 pm, there was a heated argument at the outpost during dinner and before long a gunshot was heard , they said, adding, the lifeless body of Singh was seen lying in a pool of blood there after some time.

It is believed that Singh was gunned down by Arunta with his service weapon, an AK 47 rifle. Singh's body has been deposited at the mortuary of the Jiribam district hospital. Jiribam Police have arrested Arunta, seized his service weapon and registered a case against him.

On the other hand, angry locals of the Charangpat area set up a joint action committee against Singh's killing and submitted a memorandum to chief minister N Biren Singh through the deputy commissioner (Thoubal), demanding removal of Aruna from service and fitting legal action against him. They also demanded Rs 20 lakh as compensation from the government to the bereaved family and a suitable government job to the next of the kin of the deceased.

The local pressure group said it would not claim Singh's body for performing the last rites unless the demands are complied with.