Imphal: Manipur Government is to institute a judicial inquiry leading into the recovery of the decomposed body of the Village Defense Force (VDF) engaged in the war on drugs in Chandel district bordering Myanmar on the south.
This was announced by chief minister N Biren Singh at an inaugural function of a multipurpose hall at Heingang in Imphal East district on Sunday.
The announcement came out after a meeting with the representatives of the Joint Action Committee formed in connection with the death of the VDF personnel Premananda at the Chief minister’s office on Saturday night.
The JAC is launching various forms of agitations demanding to hand over N Premananda alive to them.
As per the agreement between the government and JAC, a judicial inquiry headed by a judge (retired) will be conducted and completed within three months, provide a suitable job for Premananda’s wife, necessary assistance to the children of the deceased and develop a memorial complex of Premananda. Premananda was the sole bread earner of his six family members including his wife and two children.
The decomposed body of the VDF of the Manipur Police Department Ningombam Premananda, 37, was recovered in “mysterious circumstances” at Levenant hill slopes in Chandel district on Friday. He went missing from the 15-Assam Rifles camp at Urantop hill range while engaging as a state police team in destroying poppy plants on the intervening night of January 20 and 21.
After bringing the body to the state government-run JNIMS, Imphal, the post-mortem was conducted on Sunday. Notably, at the time of recovering the body, unnatural death was suspected apart from missing his mobile and shoes.
His body was taken by the family members and representatives of the JAC and consigned to frames after giving gun salutes at Thoubal Okram, about 30 km from Imphal on Sunday. Co-convenor of the JAC Jokinkumar said that Premananda was a real warrior in the Manipur government’s war on drugs.
Meanwhile, Thoubal District VDF Welfare Association urged authorities concerned to book the culprits in the murder of the VDF personnel.