When a Kuki college student in police custody was beaten to death by mob in Manipur

As armed mobs of men and women were looting police armouries across Imphal in Manipur early May, one of the first victims of the ethnic conflict was a 21-year-old undergraduate student from Churachandpur district, who was arrested for sharing a social media post against CM N. Biren Singh.

As armed mobs of men and women were looting police armouries across Imphal in Manipur early May, one of the first victims of the ethnic conflict was a 21-year-old undergraduate student from Churachandpur district, who was arrested for sharing a social media post against CM N. Biren Singh.

According to the FIR in the case, seen by The Hindu, the police were escorting 21-year-old Hanglalmuan Vaiphei from court to the Sajiwa Jail on May 4, when they were stopped by a mob in the Porompat area. The armed mob robbed the police of their weapons and beat Vaiphei to death as the police “escaped in different directions to save themselves”.

This was among the first instances of brutality in Manipur’s ongoing ethnic conflict, details of some of which are surfacing only now. The FIR was registered under sections of rioting and murder at the Porompat police station on May 4.

In two days of registering the FIR, the Superintendent of Police concerned sent a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), marking it as a “custodial death”. The NHRC has since issued notices to the State government in the case and flagged it with the State Human Rights Commission.

Churachandpur district was on edge after April 27, when Kuki-Zomi groups had, in a protest against CM Singh, burnt down a gym he was supposed to inaugurate. Amidst this, Vaiphei, a B.A. (Geography) student at Churachandpur College, had come across a viral post on social media by a user called “Bon Lee”, blaming Meitei politicians, including CM Singh, for the problems faced by Kuki-Zo people. 

He then reposted this on his Facebook and later deleted it in 24 hours, those who knew him said. However, police were quick to knock on his door on April 30, according to his family.

It has now been revealed that the case Mr. Vaiphei was arrested in was in fact registered against “Bon Lee”. The post alleged that political leaders of the Meitei community, purportedly with the support of the CM, were fuelling poppy cultivation in the hills and blaming tribals for it in order to “grab tribal lands”. The post also painted the Meitei community as “racist” and “anti-India”, claiming they were the source of Manipur’s problems.