Northeast students held candlelight vigil in Delhi

New Delhi, June 7, 2013

Hundreds of North-East (NE) students, social activists, friends and relatives of late Reingamphi Awungshi (21) came out with candle lights and posters expressing their solidarity on June 6 here in Jantar Mantar.

The protestors pitched to speed up the investigations and punish the police officials who refused to register the FIR at the first approach. They also demanded for early arrest of the culprits who killed Awungshi.

Dr Thokchom Meinya, an MP from Manipur was also present in the protest in solidarity of the departed.

Meanwhile condemning the brutal murder of the 21-year-old Manipuri, who was found dead in her rented accommodation in Chirag Dilli, South Delhi on May 29, the protestors vehemently criticized the irresponsible attitude of the Delhi Police towards the people of Northeast states.

The deceased’s cousin Bosco said, “We suspect the involvement of the landlord and his brother-in-law, who used to stalk her.” He said that when Awungshi was found dead in her room, the back door was open. Her room is adjacent to her landlord’s room which has a common door.

Protestors also said that they received threats from the local residents of Chirag Dilli on June 3, when they organised a peaceful candlelight vigil. Awungshi’s friends were threatened and some pamphlets were circulated in Hindi which warned the NE people living in and around Chirag Dilli, alleged Binalakshmi Nepram, a noted social activist and founder of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network. The police must investigate this too, she said.

She said that even in the second postmortem report, the concerned authority did not find the cause of death. “The killer must be a horrible man, who brutalized our sister to death. We demand that the culprits must be booked under SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act” she added.

The mortal remains of Reingamphy Awungshi were taken to her native Choithar village in Ukhrul district on Thursday for the last rites. Sources said that Awungshi’s parents contended that she was murdered and it was not a ‘suicide’.

The deceased was the sixth among the eight siblings, who came to Delhi to earn and support her family. She was the lone breadwinner of the family.

Surprisingly, even after 9 days, the cause of her death is unknown. “There is no justice to the bereaved family till today. People from the Northeast states have been facing discrimination from the Delhi Police as well as from mainland Indians”, said Paline, who had also joined the candlelight vigil protest.