6 Murders that shocked Northeast India
Every year, thousands of murders take place in the region, most forgotten while some so sensational, it is etched in our memories.
Here is a compilation of five scandalous murders that jittered the region:
1. FULLMOON DHAR: Serial killer, Fullmoon Dhar faced charges of being involved in five rape cases in Jaintia Hills, apart from the twin murder case of Mawpdang and several other cases of extortion, rape and murder. Fullmoon Dhar was arrested on September 15, 2008 along with two others in connection with the murder of two women, Walangki Papeng (21) and Jublian Kharmawlong (38) at Mawpdang.
The case of Fullmoon Dhar took a murkier turn when he was alleged to have been killed in a staged encounter.
Investigating Officer of the case, KM Pohshna mentioned that Fullmoon was alive when he was caught after the jailbreak and he mentioned the same in his seizure list. This made the case turn ugly.
The case is still under investigation.
2. SANJOY GHOSE: Sanjoy Ghose was an Indian rural development activist known for his contributions to community and development sector. Born in Nagpur and belonging to a well known Bengali family, Sanjoy Ghose spent his formative years and his adolescence in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
What is more tragic is the death of Ghose who was believed to have been killed by United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants in the river island of Majuli on the Brahmaputra river around 4 July 1997. In April 1996, a team of young professionals headed by Sanjoy Ghose took the initiative in curbiung the problem in Majuli due to flooding and by doing so Ghose displeased powerful local Government contractors who were sympathiosers to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was tasked for conducting further investigation on the murder of Sanjoy Ghose, had filed chargesheets against 11 ULFA militants
In 2011, ULFA finally admitted to killing Sanjoy Ghose calling it a 'mistake'. The outfit also apologised to Ghose's widow Sumita for killing the social activist, nearly 14 years after the murder that led to widespread outrage. The CBI had also filed charge sheets against 11 cadres of the outfit in connection to the murder. However, one of the most wanted in the case- Rajib Das alias Pradip Baruah was found dead in 2013.
3. SARITA TOSHNIWAL: Sarita Toshniwal a junior doctor and first year PG student of the Assam Medical College Hospital, Dibrugarh was brutally murdered on May 9, 2014 in the gynaecology department of the college while she was on night duty. Her body was discovered by a nurse on the same day covered with a blanket and lying on the bed inside the doctor's cabin.
On the day of the murder, Dibrugarh police had arrested a ward boy of the department, Kero Mech, after he reportedly confessed to the crime. Kero hails from Siringhola village of Dibrugarh district. However, on revelations by the ward-boy, the police arrested Dipmoni Saikia, a final-year PG student of the same department on May 15.
Initially, Dipmoni was arrested, however, he was granted bail by the Gauhati High Court on August 11, 2014 after the CID failed to submit charge-sheet within the stipulated 90-day period.
4. CHONGKHAM SANJIT: On July 23, 2009, a team of MPC personnel was conducting frisking operations in Imphal's Khwairamband Keithel when they spotted a suspicious youth coming from the direction of the Uripok locality. The youth was identified as Chongkham Sanjit, son of Chongkham Khelson of Kongpal Sajor Leikei. According to the official version, the Manipur Police Commando had asked Sanjit to stop, but the youth suddenly pulled out a gun and ran away, firing at the public in a bid to evade the police.
The series of photographs were captured by a photojournalist and published in Tehelka magazine. However, the photographs taken by a photographer who managed to shoot a minute-by-minute account of the encounter, show otherwise. The photograph clearly suggested that Sanjit was standing calmly as the MPC commandos frisked him, contrary to the official statement. He appeared to be unarmed and did not seem to be resisting arrest. He was then escorted inside the storeroom of the pharmacy. However, what ensued next was harrowing. The photos illustrated commandos moving in closely in an attempt to keep view as one of the commandos shot Sanjit shot point blank. His body was brought out minutes later and thrown onto a truck.
According to the police, Sanjit was a member of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Sanjit was a former PLA cadre but retired from the outfit in 2006 and since then he had been living with his family and working as an attendent at a private hospital.
Six police commandos had been suspended and the Manipur government had ordered a judicial inquiry.
5. DAINIK GANADOOT JOURNALISTS' MURDERS: Three employees of a local Bengali daily Dainik Ganadoot were stabbed to death inside its office by two unidentified assailants in Agartala.
According to police, the motorcycle-borne assailants barged into the office of 'Dainik Ganadoot' at the Palace Compound on May 19, 2013 and stabbed a proof reader Sujit Bhattacharya and a driver Balaram Ghosh (40) on the ground floor before proceeding to the first floor where they stabbed the office manager Ranjit Chowdhury (60).
'Dainik Ganadoot' editor-cum proprietor Sushil Chowdhury, who lives in the same compound, said he suspected the three were stabbed due to mistaken identitiy and he himself might have been the target but did not know the reason behind the killings. Interestingly, it was later revealed that the newspaper editor-cum owner himself- Sushil Chowdhury was guility in the triple murder case.
Chowdhury claimed, " I am innocent, I don't know who has killed them. Please pardon me considering my age-76". However, the Additional District and Sessions judge, West Tripura Kripankar Chakraborty replied, "It has been proved that you have killed three persons."
Kripankar Chakraborty, additional district and sessions judge of West Tripura district, held Sushil Choudhury guilty of killing three of his employees under sections 120 (B), 109, 302, 113, 111 and 201.
6. SHEENA BORA MURDER CASE: A mother killing her own daughter is something you don't hear much. But the case of Sheena Bora from Assam rocked the entire country when it was disclosed that her mother, Indranit Mukherjee was actually behind Sheena's disappearance and subsequently her murder.
Sheena Bora, an executive working for Mumbai Metro One based in Mumbai,went missing on April 24, 2012. In August 2015 Mumbai Police arrested her mother Indrani Mukerjea, her stepfather Sanjeev Khanna, and her mother's driver, Shyamvar Pinturam Rai, for allegedly abducting and killing her and subsequently burning her corpse. Four months before her arrest, Mumbai police commenced surveillance of Indrani. The surveillance was initiated after a tip-off. Shyamvar Pinturam Rai, Indrani's driver, was arrested on August 21, 2015 for possession of illegal weapons and it was alleged that, during his interrogation, he revealed details of Sheena Bora's murder. On August 26, 2015, Sheena's brother Mikhail revealed that she was Indrani's daughter rather than sister.
In November 2015 Peter was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in the murder conspiracy. In December 2015 Peter was remanded to judicial custody in Arthur Road Jail. In February 2016 the CBI filed a chargesheet against him that charged him under Sections 302 (murder), 120-B (conspiracy) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.
(TNT Desk)
