SHILLONG: The Superintendent of Police (SP), Vivek Syiem, has disclosed that the police will seek legal permission from the court to exhumate the body of youth Trophimos Khongmawloh in order to conduct a post-mortem examination.
This development follows allegations surrounding the tragic death of the youth, in which the Rangbah Shnong (village headman) of Pynter, Fullmoon Khongdon, along with members of the Village Defence Party (VDP), are accused of physically assaulting him.
The SP informed that the police received a First Information Report (FIR) on May 5 from the deceased’s father, Nethurbirt Khongsdoh. In the FIR, the father alleged that the incident occurred back on April 7, during which his son was reportedly beaten by the village headman and VDP members. Following the receipt of this formal complaint, the police registered a murder case at the Pynursla Police Station.
Furthermore, the police have approached the court for authorization to exhume the body of Trophimos Khongmawloh, with the specific date for the exhumation to be scheduled by the SDO Civil of the Pynursla region. Once the body is exhumed, a post-mortem will be performed.
The truth regarding the circumstances of the death will become clear only after obtaining the post-mortem report, which will guide the police in taking further course of action.
SP Syiem stated that the investigation into the matter is actively ongoing. So far, 11 individuals accused of involvement in the case have obtained anticipatory bail from the District Council Court. Consequently, the police will wait for the post-mortem report before approaching the court again to appeal for the cancellation or modification of the anticipatory bail granted to the accused.
Currently, the case is being closely monitored by the SDPO of Pynursla and the SP City. However, the police will make a definitive decision only after the post-mortem report establishes whether or not the youth’s death was a direct result of torture and assault by the village headman and the VDP members.
The SP noted that the VDP in the village had previously been briefed, sensitized, and had even taken an oath to uphold the law, cooperate with the police, and report any incidents. However, in this particular case, the VDP failed to inform the police, leading to allegations that they took the law into their own hands and physically assaulted the youth.
The police are awaiting the autopsy findings to substantiate these claims, and since the accused individuals, including the village headman, have already secured bail, the police will wait for the report before finalizing their next steps.
Regarding a video that has been circulating online, the SP stated that the police have not yet officially received the footage. Moving forward, investigators will secure the video and analyze it to verify whether it is indeed related to this specific incident.
