Judicial commission summons Tehelka journalists

The commission in its sitting here on Thursday issued summons to the executive editor of Tehelka magazine, Soma Choudhuri, and the news magazine's Guwahati correspondent, Teresa Rehaman to appear before it and give their versions on the incident, sources said.

Although Manipur government had earlier said that a 27-year-old youth, identified as Chungkham Sanjit, was killed in an encounter with police commandos at busy Khwairamband market complex here on July 23, the photographs published in the news magazine showed that the victim was killed in a cold-blooded manner, a social organisation Apunba Lup (AL) has said.

The AL has been spearheading a four-month-long agitation demanding resignation of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh on moral grounds, dismissal of commandos involved in the July 23 incident and strict action against senior police officials responsible for deployment of commandos.

Commission sources said although it had sought opinions and statements from the public in connection with the incident, only two or three persons have come out to give their statements. The A L had earlier appealed to the public not to extend cooperation to the commission as it would not serve any purpose since the news magazine published detailed photographs of how Sanjit was killed in a cold-blooded manner by commandos after his arrest.

Official sources said the commission had been set up by the government to find out the circumstances leading to the killing of Sanjit. A pregnant woman was also killed and five others were injured by stray bullets, sources said.

All educational institutions have stopped conducting classes for more than two and a half months in Manipur valley following class boycott call given by three prominent student bodies to show their support to the AL's demand.