Imphal: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against nine policemen in the Manipur fake encounter case.
Commandos of Manipur Police are accused of killing Sanjit Meitei last July. He was an alleged militant who had surrendered but was shot dead on a busy road in Imphal. The killing of the unarmed youth had led to protests in the state.
Citing over 250 witnesses, the CBI has filed the chargesheet under various sections of IPC, including murder, against the commandos and the then Officer in Charge of City Police Station Imphal.
The chargesheet was filed against Inspectors Munal Singh, H Devendra Singh, head constables Thounaojam Herojit Singh, Oinam Keshor Singh, constables W Binoy Kumar Singh, Mohammad Imran Khan, Makan Kanchung Chothi, havaldar Jagat Singh and rifleman Ngangom Toyaima Singh, a CBI statement said.
The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal, has taken cognisance of the chargesheet and issued a warrant of arrest against the accused persons, the agency said.
Meitei was killed by last year by police commandos, who had alleged that he was gunned down in an encounter. However, days after the alleged encounter, a national weekly came out with pictures of an unarmed Meitei being taken into a shop where he was allegedly shot dead.
In a writ petition, Meitei's mother alleged that her son was shot dead arbitrarily by the Manipur Police commandos. The Guwahati High Court's Imphal Bench had on December 23, 2009, transferred the investigation to the CBI.
According to the police version, an FIR was lodged in the City PS against an unknown youth (later identified as Sanjit) on July 23, who was allegedly shot dead in retaliatory firing by police commandos on B T Road.
Pursuant to the High Court orders, the CBI registered a case against some personnel of Manipur Police on January 16, 2010.
As per the CBI investigation on July 23 last year, the Manipur police commandos, doing their routine frisking on B T Road, came across a youth who fired at them and mingled with the crowd.
The police also fired in retaliation in which five persons were injured and a pregnant woman was killed. The police cordoned the area and started search operations.
Meitei, who was present on B T Road, was picked up by police and taken inside the storeroom of a pharmacy.
“He was not armed at that time and was accosted by the commandos and shot dead by them and a pistol was shown falsely recovered from him. Investigation revealed that there was no such pistol in possession of Meitei and the police planted the same after it was picked up from nearby GSS Arcade, minutes before the encounter," the CBI said.
With PTI inputs
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