By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Refusing to accept that his son had died on account of a motorbike accident, the father of a PhD student in NEHU has filed an FIR with the State police claiming that his son was killed in a ‘cold blooded murder’.
“I do not believe the claim that my son died in motorbike accident. I strongly suspect it was a cold blooded murder,” father of James Todiuwang (a PhD student in the department of Economics) Gamlinang said in an FIR which was lodged at Mawlai police station recently.
Gamlinang a resident of Tamenglong district of Manipur stated that his son was found dead in mysterious conditions on March 17 at around 6pm at NEHU near Gate No. 2.
He pointed out that the injury marks on his son’s body could not have emerged if it had been an accident, but were inflicted upon him by some other means.
“His death was caused due to a hard blunt impact on the head,” Gamlinang who is seeking justice for his son said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.
Affirming his own suspicions that his son was murdered, Gamlinang said the post mortem report also suggested that his son did not die from a motor bike incident but it was pre-determined, cold blooded murder.
According to him, an uncertified copy of the post-mortem report has cleared his doubts that James did not die because of any accident.
After a post-mortem on his dead son, he said that the same was handed over to relatives on the same day after which the body was taken to Manipur and the funeral was held on March 19.
“It is a case of cold blooded murder and the statements given by three main witnesses before the police as well as before the court was all false for the simple reason that no person who had received a minor injury in his leg would become unconscious,” Gamlinang said, adding, “The three persons who were the primary witnesses are required to be arrested and re-questioned as to why my son’s life was taken before his time,”.
“Despite the inconsistencies in the case the police have not arrested anyone even after a lapse of one and half months,” he said. Gamlinang also informed that the Zeliangrong Students’ Body had also filed an FIR at Mawlai police station on March 18 and a case was subsequently registered under section 304 IPC.
James’ father appealed to the law enforcing agencies to expedite the investigation and bring justice to his son.
“The students are vulnerable and they are our hope as well as our future leaders,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Naga Students’ Union had submitted a memorandum to the Meghalaya Governor, Home Minister and concerned Superintendent of Police in connection with the incident,” Gamlinang said in a press statement.
In their memorandum to Governor R.S. Mooshahary on March 22, the Naga Students’ Union, Shillong demanded a CBI probe into James’ death. Mooshahary is also the chief rector of the university.
The union had also alleged that James’ death was a clear case of “gruesome murder” as one of the three pedestrians who had admitted to have been hit by the motorbike suffered only minor injuries and the motorbike was not at all damaged.
“The impact on the pedestrian and motorbike clearly indicates that James was riding at a very low speed which under any condition cannot completely crash his helmet and the back of his head,” the memorandum further stated.
A copy of the memorandum was also forwarded to the President who is also the Visitor of NEHU, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Union home minister P. Chidambaram and others.