Newmai News Network
Imphal | February 23
People Action Committee (PAC) against the "brutal killing" of Pravish Chanam on Saturday threatened to impose a 24-hour total shutdown of Manipur on February 28.
While announcing for the fresh agitation, the PAC alleged that state government of Manipur has failed to take up a "single positive step" to establish the facts and circumstances leading to the death of Pravish Chanam till date.
The PAC demanded that the state Assembly in its ongoing budget session discusses the matter of Pravish Chanam death case and takes a decision of the government for the end of justice. The body of Chanam, a student of BA programme from Imphal's Uripok locality, who went missing from a musical concert in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on the night of September 8, 2017, was cremated by the UP police on September 13 of the same year as "unclaimed body", even as the family members lodged a missing complain at Knowledge Park police station.
Even as the Manipur chief minister had informed about handing over the case to CBI for investigation as demanded by the family, so far no positive action was taken up by the UP government. Addressing a news conference at Manipur Press Club on Saturday, PAC convenor, Laimayum Pishu demanded that Manipur Assembly in its ongoing budget session discusses the matter and takes a concrete decision. "If the demand is not considered, then PAC will impose a 24-hour statewide total shutdown on February 28, to be commenced from the intervening night of February 27 and 28", he warned.
In case of failure to get "positive response" even after the total shutdown, then, PAC will, after consultation with civil society organisations, launch a series of agitation. The PAC convenor alleged that even as the state chief minister had assured justice to the family of the victim, on several occasions, so far not a single positive step was taken up to deliver justice to the mysterious death of the state youth in UP.
He said that they had repeatedly approached both the Central government and the state government to find out the facts and circumstances leading to the death of Pravish Chanam. "We had even pressed chief minister N Biren Singh to make sure that the case is handed over to CBI for a thorough investigation", he said. Taking part in the news conference, president of Nupi Samaj Th Ramani strongly condemned when state government remained silent to "such a sensitive issue" for the last one and a half year. "The state Assembly should adopt a decision on what can be done by the state government for the end of justice," she said.
