Correspondent
IMPHAL, JULY 23
THE body of 30-year-old Manipuri youth who was beaten to death in South Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur was flown back to Imphal on Wednesday.
Large number of students and civil organizations from his native Senapati district paid floral tributes to the departed soul while receiving the body at the Tulihal airport in Imphal.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased, speaking to media at the airport complex, demanded befitting punishment to the culprits.
“We are very much against such brutal attack on innocent people,” said Salouni’s uncle CK Tho. “We want befitting punishment to all the culprits,” he demanded.
Later, the deceased body was taken to his native Karong village, about 65 km north of Imphal for the funeral and last rites.
Local MLA Alexander Pau, leaders of student bodies, civil society organisations, religious leaders and businessmen were also present.
It may be recalled that Salouni, a former BPO executive, was allegedly beaten to death by a group of miscreants in South Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur area in the wee hours of July 22.
On Tuesday night, around 1000 people gathered at Senapati traffic point and staged a candle light vigil to show solidarity to the departed soul and bereaved family. The murder issue had even rocked the ongoing assembly session on Tuesday forcing the Deputy Chief Minister to table a detailed report of the incident.
4th accused sent to police custody
PTI
NEW DELHI, JULY 23
A Delhi court today remanded the fourth accused arrested in connection with the murder of a 29-year-old youth from Manipur in one-day police custody.
While orally observing that “it appears to be an incident of road rage,” Metropolitan Magistrate Ashok Kumar sent Azad Chaudhary to police custody till July 24 and allowed the police officials to interrogate him.
“I have gone through the application seeking grant of one day police custody of the arrested accused along with relevant records. Application is allowed and the accused be produced before the court on July 24,” the magistrate said.
While seeking his custody, the police said Chaudhary’s custodial interrogation was required to nab another co-accused Lokesh, who was still at large. Chaudhary (24), a driver by profession and a resident of Garhi Village, was arrested yesterday for his alleged involvement in the crime.
Yesterday, the court had remanded three other arrested accused-- Shakti Basoya (21), his cousin Sanjay Basoya (24) and Rajiv (25) -- in police custody till July 24.
The police had told the court that the accused, who have been arrested in connection with the case after analysis of CCTV footage, have revealed the involvement of one other accused in the crime. The investigators had told the court that a piece of cloth which was used in the crime was yet to be recovered.
Police had also said that the assault was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the South Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur area which showed one of the men wrapping a cloth around victim Akha Salouni’s neck and swinging him around in the air.
It had said that the youths then pinned down the victim on the floor and showered blows and kicks on him.
The accused were booked under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and various provisions of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Salouni was allegedly beaten to death by a group of five youths in Kotla Mubarakpur area when the victim along with two friends, Dihe Kazhiihrii (25), a resident of Manipur, and Nagendra Sharma (40), a native of Bihar, went to Masoodpur Colony to attend a party at a friend’s place.
Following the party, they had hired an auto to drop Kazhiihrii at his home at Kotla Mubarakpur. When the auto reached near Gurudwara road, a car arrived from behind and started honking continuously, police had said.
The car occupants abused the auto driver, following which an argument ensued between Salouni and his friends and the five youths.
The argument soon turned ugly following which five youths, all of whom were apparently in an inebriated state, alighted from the car and attacked the three. While Kazhiihrii and Sharma managed to flee, Salouni was caught by them, police had said.
Kazhiihrii called the police around 3:30 AM, after which a police team reached the spot and rushed Salouni, who was unconscious, to AIIMS trauma centre where doctors declared him brought dead.
