- Manipur police commando faces charge of raping 24-year-old

Imphal, April 2: Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh today promised a magisterial inquiry into the suicide of a young girl who was allegedly raped by a policeman early this week.

Khumukcham Shyamashakhi Devi, 24, a resident of Kakching Khunou in Thoubal district, had consumed sulphuric acid on Monday, a day after she was allegedly raped by a police commando of the rank of inspector, Chingtham Anand Singh, and died at Shija Hospitals here on Wednesday.

She was a pharmacist working with a private clinic at Mayang Imphal in Imphal West. Anand Singh was posted at Mayang Imphal police station, close to the clinic, and used to visit it frequently.

The girl’s mother, Manimacha Devi, today alleged that physical abuse and psychological threat by the policeman had led to her daughter’s suicide. “The inspector raped my daughter at gunpoint and threatened her with death if she disclosed it to anyone. She disclosed about the rape before she committed suicide,” she told reporters here today.

Waikhong police station in Thoubal did register an FIR after Manimacha Devi lodged a complaint the day her daughter died, but the accused has not been arrested so far.

Thoubal SSP Clay Khonmsai said no name had been mentioned in the complaint, but investigations were on.

A joint action committee, formed by the residents of Kakching Khunou, submitted a memorandum to the chief minister today. It alleged that the police commando had raped Shyamashakhi at gunpoint and threatened to kill her, her family members and her boyfriend if she told anyone about the rape. It also charged that the inspector took her signature on a sheet of blank paper after the rape. It claimed that Shyamashakhi had made these disclosures to her mother and friends before her death.

The committee demanded that the inspector be arrested immediately and brought to book, failing which it threatened to launch an agitation.

About 500 protesters from Kakching Khunou arrived here this morning escorted by works minister K. Ranjit Singh. The police had not allowed them to proceed towards Imphal yesterday. Ranjit Singh went to Wangoi this morning and brought them to his quarters at Babupara here before taking a delegation to Ibobi Singh’s office.

Ibobi Singh assured the delegates that a magisterial inquiry would be ordered within a month and based on its findings, necessary action would be taken.

He told the delegation that as there was no hard evidence against the police commando, it would be difficult to arrest or take action against him. He urged the villagers to provide all evidences during the proposed probe.

The committee today decided to accept the girl’s body.