Five arrested for fatal attack on Manipuri man in Delhi

Zee Media Bureau/Ajith Vijay Kumar

New Delhi: Acting swiftly, the Delhi Police has arrested five persons in connection with the fatal attack on a Manipuri man in Kotla Mubarakpur area of South Delhi, reports said Monday.

The names of two of them are Rajiv Shakti alias Shanky and Sanjay. The reason behind the crime, as per Delhi Police sources, is said to be road rage. The car used in this crime has also been recovered. As per reports, the accused belong to Gurgaon, Ghari and Kotla Mubarak. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju termed the killing as disturbing and promised a detailed inquiry.

“It seems to be per-planned, unprovoked. Visiting the spot in noon, police will crack info they have. We are very disturbed about this,” Rijiju said. “It`s an unfortunate incident, but police action has been quite swift,” he said.

30-year-old Shaloni was returning from a friend`s place in Kotla Mubarakpur last night when he stopped at a shop to buy groceries. There he had an alternation with a group of 5-6 men who arrived at the spot by car.

Enraged, the men surrounded Shaloni and thrashed him brutally. The police rushed him to AIIMS Trauma Centre where he succumbed to his injuries.

Shaloni lived in Munirka area. He earlier worked with a BPO buy was presently unemployed.

While the police are yet to confirm whether the incident was a case of hate crime, Shaloni`s death has once again put the focus on the growing menace of hate crimes against people from the Northeast, which had gained nationwide attention following the death of 20-year-old student Nido Tania under similar circumstances. Hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, Tania was also beaten to death after an altercation with shopkeepers in Lajpat Nagar area.

The latest incident comes days after another Manipur man was found dead after he drowned in a drain under mysterious circumstances. Locals told police that they saw 28-year-old Kawilungbou Chawang running on the streets before jumping into the drain.

His friends later alleged foul play and claimed that he has running to save his life. The police is yet to crack the case.

Earlier in the year, a girl from Nagaland who was studying law in Delhi University was molested by another lawyer at a metro station and when she went to court in connection with the case, she was allegedly beaten up up a group of lawyers who threatened her to drop the case against their colleague.

Also, two Manipuri women were assaulted by men who hurled racist abuses at them in Kotla Mubarakpur, the same area where Shaloni was assaulted.

Following the Tania case in January, the government had set up a committee to look into the concerns of people from the North East living in different parts of the country.

The MP Bezbaruah committee submitted its report to Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on July 11 in which it has recommended legal measures to ensure their safety and security from any assault on them.

Minister Rijiju has said the report will be processed on priority.