IMPHAL, April 20: The Manipur Home Minister Gaikhangam has written a strongly worded letter to his Karnataka counterpart to take up immediate action for the arrest of the culprits involved in the brutal murder of Loitam Richard, a Manipuri student studying in Bangalore.
Twenty-one year old Richard is the son of Dr Loitam Rajesh Singh of Uripok Yambem Leikai and studying Architectural Engineering at Acharya NRV School of Architecture of Bangalore.
According to reports reaching Imphal, Richard was allegedly beaten up by some senior students staying at the hostel on April 18, following a spate over the IPL cricket match and had succumbed to his injuries late at night.
Gaikhangam has written to the Karnataka Home Minister today and urged immediate action to nab the culprits involved in the incident and also take up adequate measures to ensure of Manipuri students staying at Bangalore.
According to informal reports received here at Imphal, Loitam Richard had met a motorbike accident a few days before the hostel incident.
The reports further said, after the hostel incident Richard had gone to his room and did not come out of his room in the morning. His friends thinking that he must have gone to college did not check the room.
However, when they came back to the hostel for lunch, Richard’s room was found locked from inside and when they forced their way into the room they found him unconscious with bleeding in his nose. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.
Meanwhile, a state police team headed by a DSP has gone to Bangalore to assist the family members already stationed there. The Bangalore police have already facilitated post-mortem over the dead body of Loitam Richard.
It may be recalled here that, the Bangalore Manipuri Students Union had filed a FIR with concerned police station there and investigations are already underway into the alleged murder.
There are thousands of Manipuri students studying at various institutions at Bangalore and its outskirts, besides several others employed in various companies and retail chains. The Manipuri population at Bangalore is estimated to be above 10,000.