Two years on, probe into Manipuri student's death 'inconclusive'

The death of Ahab Ibrahim, the student from Kerala who succumbed to injuries allegedly inflicted by his college mates in the City, brings back a similar incident of 2012 to the fore.

Richard Loitam from Manipur and a student at Acharya NRV College of Architecture (ANRVCA), was found dead at his college hostel in April 2012.

The police have completed their probe into the death and submitted their report to the government. However, the family members of Loitam are not happy with the investigation and have moved the High Court seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A source in the Home department said that according to the report, there is no proof to establish the death as a murder.

“Based on the report from AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) and the National Forensic Laboratory, Hyderabad, there is no case for homicide. There is a complicated sequence of events that led to the death,” said the source.

The source did not rule out the possibility of booking the accused for other offences such as assault. “Assault is a separate offence and the accused are liable for such an offence,” the source added.

‘Reports inconclusive’

Speaking to Deccan Herald from Manipur, Loitam Bobby, uncle of Loitam, claimed that both the reports were inconclusive as to the cause of Loitam’s death. “I have a copy of both the reports and they do not throw light on the cause of death. The body parts sent for the test were decomposed and nothing could be made out of them,” he said.

Serious injuries

The preliminary findings disclosed a number of serious injuries on the head, thighs and arm. However, the final report was silent on the cause of death.

A bike accident in which Loitam was involved prior to the assault, complicated the matter. However, the college speculated that Loitam died of drug overdose. The probe was ultimately handed over to the CID, he said.

Len Singsong, a member of Northeast Welfare Association in Karnataka, said that he was not satisfied with the findings of the report and claimed that there were a number of loopholes in the investigation.

“We met Bipin Gopalakrishna, DGP, CID, to discuss the forensic report. There are a number of unanswered questions and loopholes in the report,” Singsong said.

The family members have moved the High Court seeking directions to entrust the probe to the CBI. “ We do not have faith in the local police, the pace of investigations and the findings of the report,” said Bobby.

Police gather vital clues in Ahab ragging case

The police on Wednesday claimed that vital clues had been gathered in the case of Ahab Ibrahim, a diploma student of Acharya Polytechnic Institute in Bangalore, who was allegedly assaulted by seniors on January 27 and died in Kochi, Kerala, on Monday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sandeep Patil said, “We have collected vital information from five students, one of whom was a roommate of Ahab and the other four neighbours who were staying in the same apartment in Peenya.”

“They came back to the City after attending the funeral of Ahab in Kerala and we have questioned them. The investigation is on the right track and at quick pace. We are closing in on the suspects. The details are also being cross-checked with college authorities,” he added.

About coordinating with the Kerala counterparts, Patil said the Kerala police were looking into the case.

“We are receiving updates from them. They are gathering information from Ahab’s friends and relatives.”

A copy of the post morterm report is awaited, the police official said.