No headway in killing of Babul Rongmei

SILCHAR, July 12 : There has been no headway in the investigation into the brutal killing of Babul Rongmei, chairman of Barak Valley Hill Tribes Development Council, who was shot dead in the early morning of Sunday by three motorbike born miscreants. It was the pistol carrying youth who shot at Babul from close range and caused his death. Besides, the brother-in-law of Babul, Babuti Rongmei, who tried to prevent the miscreants from escaping with their bike was also shot at and injured who is now recuperating in the Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

Kiran Kumar Barua, SDPO Lakhipur, who is assisting the Silchar police in the investigation, said over telephone, “The interrogation of Alimai Kamaei who was arrested from Pailapool Naga village just a few hours of the killing is going on. The search is on for another miscreant who is believed to be the mastermind behind it.” He was confident that a definite breakthrough would be made to nab the culprits and arrive at the bottom of the conspiracy to eliminate Babul Rongmei. Prashanta Kumar Bhuiya, SP of Cachar, said, “with the recovery of the motorbike Pulsar and the arrest of a suspect, necessary inputs gathered from them would help the police in unearthing the macabre incident”.

It is to be recollected that the three motorbike born miscreants, one of them who shot at Babul and his brother-in-law Babuti, according to preliminary finding, were part of a conspiracy to kill Babul, the motive behind which would only be unraveled once the miscreants were nabbed. The pistol carrying youth who was nabbed by the mob that assembled soon after the killing of Babul was lynched to death. The recovery of a mobile set and the American-made revolver from his possession would provide vital clues to arrest the culprits and expose the whole game plan behind the killing of Babul.

As decided earlier, the body of Babul Rongmei was carried all the way from his Sabashpur residence to Meherpur Naga Punji and from there to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Cachar and then taken to his native village of Ujan Tarapur under tight security cover for the last rites. The processionists, around 500, wore black badges with placards and banners in their hands which read, ‘We want justice’ ‘Long live Babul Rongmei’. Today, he was laid to rest and hundreds of tribals, irrespective of their identity, joined the funeral procession and paid their homage to Babul. All Assam Tribal Sangh, All Assam Manipuri Students’ Union, Dimasa Students’ Union, Naga Students’ Union, Nikhil Cachar Heramba Barman Samiti and various other tribal and non tribal organizations have condemned the killing of Babul Rongmei and sought immediate arrest of the culprits.