NEFIS REACHES UNION HOME MINISTRY SEEKING INVESTIGATION INTO PRAVISH CHANAM’S DEATH BY CBI!
DEMANDS MANIPUR CHIEF MINISTER’S IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION TO ENSURE JUSTICE FOR THE DECEASED!
The activists of North-East Forum for International Solidarity today reached Union Ministry of Home Affairs seeking an investigation by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the death of Manipuri youth, Pravish Chanam. It also demanded an immediate intervention by Manipuri Chief Minister to ensure justice for the deceased. It should be noted that Pravish Chanam had come to Delhi on a visit and had been residing in Safdarjung, Delhi with his friends. On 8th September, he went to Knowledge Park to attend a music concert with his friends and was missing after the concert. It has been reported that he was taken in an injured condition to Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital around 10:30 pm, where he was given first-aid by a doctor. It is not known that whether after the first-aid he was discharged or forcibly taken away. On 9th September, at 6:30 am Pravish left the hospital Emergency Ward. The next day a call was received by the PCR of an injured person in Sector-31 Market. The PCR personnel took the injured youth, Pravish to Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital around 5:30 pm, where he subsequently died. His postmortem was done on 11th September 2017 and after waiting for 72 hours, the hospital authorities disposed off (cremated) the body as there was no one to claim the body. It should be known that a complaint in connection to his disappearance had already been lodged at Knowledge Park Police Station, Gautam Budh Nagar on 9th September.
It should be known that the police has been guilty of gross negligence in the whole matter. Despite the complaint being lodged on 9th September, the ‘Person Missing’ pamphlets were issued two days later. Details of the complaint lodged were not shared with PS Sector-20, Noida or Police Chowki, Nithari. Despite the fact that the matter was being pursued by the police of one station, Nithari Police Chowki personnel did not inform the station of an unclaimed deadbody. Moreover, when the deceased’s friends went to Nithari Police Chowki which is just opposite to Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital on 13th September to inquire about him, they were brusquely turned out by the police personnel present there. The hospital authorities too did not inform his friends about the presence of Pravish’s body in the hospital mortuary and their decision to cremate the body on the same day that they went there to enquire about him, i.e., 13th September 2017. It should be known that according to his cremation certificate the dead body of Pravish was present in the hospital for the last three days and was cremated on the very same day that his friends went there. This is straightforwardly a case of concealing crucial and necessary information. Clearly, it strongly suggests that police personnel had in connivance with criminals and hospital authorities allowed the body to be disposed off, instead of informing Knowledge Park Police Station where the matter was being investigated.
NEFIS has in the memorandum submitted to Union Home Ministry demanded a CBI inquiry into the case should be conducted, since the UP Police’s inquiry is bound to be heavily biased since its own personnel are implicated in the case. It has also demanded that the inquiry should especially probe the connivance of police personnel with the criminals and hospital authorities. NEFIS has also intensified its efforts to seek Manipur Government’s intervention in the case.
Chinglen Khumukcham,
Convener,
North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS)
