M A I N   N E W S

‘Fake’ Encounter
Manipur orders probe, suspends 6 policemen
Bijay Sankar Bora
Tribune News Service

Guwahati, August 5
Faced with mass protests against the July 23 “fake encounter” deaths of a youth and a young pregnant woman in an Imphal locality, the Manipur government today announced its decision to institute a judicial inquiry into the incident besides suspending six policemen, including a sub-inspector, allegedly involved in the killings.

CM Okram Ibobi Singh, on his arrival from New Delhi, announced these decisions this evening apparently to quell the raging protest that is threatening to assume an alarming proportion under the leadership of the Apunba Lup, a banner organisation of at least 30 civil society groups.

Meanwhile, the state government has decided to partially relax the indefinite curfew that was clamped in the Greater Imphal area since yesterday. The Chief Minister said curfew would be relaxed only for four hours from 5 am to 9 am tomorrow.

The judicial inquiry will be headed by either a sitting or a retired high court judge but no time frame has been specified for submission of the inquiry report.

The CM also clarified that the earlier statement made by him in the state Assembly on July 23 following the ‘encounter’ was based on reports received from the police.