Medico’s death: Students union, activists say they will continue campaign for justice

Sanaton Athokpam was found ‘hanging’ in his hostel room on March 15 but it is alleged that his body bore marks of torture.

April 29, 2021 09:03 am | Updated 09:03 am IST - IMPHAL

The Regional Institute of Medical Sciences Students’ Union (RIMSSU) and others have said that they will continue their campaign demanding justice for a student, Sanaton Athokpam, who was found dead in his hostel room.

The medico was found “hanging” in his hostel room on March 15.

A magisterial inquiry is under way into the death of the fifth semester student of RIMS, a Union Health Ministry-run medical college.

However, the parents, six students’ organisations and social activists say that the suicide theory cannot be accepted. They allege that the body bore marks of torture and his hands were tied to his back.

They also pointed out that police have refused to register an FIR in connection with the incident.

The six students’ bodies and several activists who formed ‘Justice for Sanaton Athokpam’ imposed a 24-hour general strike in Manipur which began from 6 p.m. on April 26. There was massive response from the people.

President of the RIMSSU Bishal Roy said, “Some sections have been trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere in this national-level medical college. Despite the fact that the RIMSSU had issued a clarification on April 22 after meeting some students’ bodies, the vilification campaign is continuing”.

The activists have also been demanding the suspension, interrogation of officials of the RIMS and examination of the call records of the mobile phone of the dead student. Despite the orchestrated calls, RIMS director Ahanthem Santa and other ranking officials, including the hostel warden, have been maintaining a silence on the issue.

Activists say that though Chief Minister N. Biren had assured that the magisterial inquiry would be completed in a month, there is no report even after 47 days.

In the past, a student was shot and wounded on the RIMS campus. One person visiting a student was shot dead inside a hostel room. A director and some professors had been kidnapped by armed rebels.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.