By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 17: The authorities will exhume the body of 27-year-old Trophimos Khongmawloh of Pynter village on Monday as part of the investigation into allegations that a brutal assault in the village dorbar hall in April caused his death.
Sub-Divisional Officer of Pynursla, Gautam Warjri, said on Sunday that the Investigating Officer handling the case informed him about the planned exhumation, scheduled to begin at around 10 am.
According to officials, a forensic team from Shillong will exhume the body in the presence of a magistrate, who will oversee the entire process. A post-mortem examination will be conducted on the spot after the exhumation.
The case drew widespread public attention after a 59-second video on how the victim was assaulted in the community dorbar hall on the night of April 7 went viral on social media.
In an FIR lodged at the Sadar Police Station in Shillong on May 8, the complainant alleged that the assault was carried out under the supervision of the Rangbah Shnong of Pynter village, Fullmoon Khongsdoh, along with members of the Village Defence Party (VDP).
The father of the victim, Netnobiweit Khongsdoh, had alleged that after the incident, the victim’s body was wrapped in a foam sheet and kept at the family residence until April 8. He claimed that when he went to see the body, he noticed that his son’s head was soaked in blood.
According to the complainant, villagers initially informed the family that the deceased had died after allegedly consuming poisonous insects.
The FIR stated that members of the VDP brought the body to the family residence on the morning of April 8 and that the body was later buried on April 9, without allowing family members to pay their final respects.
The matter came to light after the victim’s father lodged a Zero FIR at Sadar Police Station on May 5. Copies of the FIR were subsequently forwarded to the East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Vivek Syiem, on May 6 and to the Officer-in-Charge of Pynursla Police Station on May 8.
