Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) urged the National Medical Commission to initiate enquiry against the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) authority over the death of Athokpam Sanaton.
TFM Desk
Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) has urged the National Medical Commission (NMC) to initiate enquiry agaisnt the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) authority over the death of Athokpam Sanaton.
YFPHR in a release on Wednesday also urged the government of Manipur to form an “independent impartial investigation commission” comprising Rtd Judge of High Court, members of CSOs, member of Justice for Sanaton Athokpam, Rtd ADGP to probe the death of Sanaton at the earliest.
The forum also demanded the government of Manipur to investigate the Lamphel Police Station’s failure to investigate the death of Sanaton.
While appreciating the government for conducting magisterial enquiry, YFPHR questioned why the family members are not part of the enquiry as they are used just for “namesake” during the enquiry process.
The forum also condemned the jurisdictional police station for not registering an FIR at the initial stage beside witnessing the prima facie evidence such as tying of both the wrist on back, marks on the face and back sides of the body, injured little toe, etc which the forum said are clear sign that the death of Sanaton was controversial in nature.
“The repeated effort to make the death of Sanaton as an act of suicide is highly questionable and why the police failed to cooperate with the family members of the deceased person on being requested to register an FIR is yet another sad reality on the negligence of Police to conduct an investigation”.
YFPHR said that it was learnt from the fact finding visit at the residence of the deceased person that none of his family members were made participants by the investigation agency during the time of conducting the autopsy which clearly indicates some “foul play” over the death of Sanaton.
YFPHR also stated that it has deep concern over the controversial death of Sanaton and has “strong suspicion” to have been murdered at RIMS Hostel Number 3 on March 15, 2021.
The release also mentioned that the YFPHR will write a special letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Human Rights Commission, National Medical Commission and to the governor of Manipur to initiate “proper investigation” over the death of Sanaton at the earliest.
A 5th semester Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) student at RIMS, Sanaton Athokpam of Khurai Thangjam Leikai, Imphal East was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room (C-5 of hostel number 3 of RIMS) on March 15 at around 1:30 pm. His friends broke the door when he had failed to respond.