Disturbing details have emerged from the autopsy reports of six family members whose bodies were recovered from the Barak River in Manipur’s Jiribam district on November 17.
The reports showed brutal injuries, multiple bullet wounds and severe trauma.
The victims, identified as members of a Meitei family, were allegedly kidnapped and killed by Kuki-Zo militants.
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The latest report of the post-mortem examination conducted at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in Assam’s Cachar district revealed that a 10-month-old infant, named Laishram Lamnganba, suffered a bullet injury to the left knee joint and had both eyeballs missing from the sockets.
The report said there were multiple lacerations, including wounds over the front chest wall, blunt weapon injury over the right lower jaw to the chin and back of the head, hard blunt trauma over the right shoulder fracturing the head of the humerus and a wound on the left loin.
According to NDTV, the “chop wound” on his chest fractured the ribs.
His body was brought to SMCH on November 17 and the approximate time of death was three to five days before that, as per the report. The body of the infant, who was found wearing a T-shirt and vest, was in a state of decomposition, officials said.
Another victim, a 31-year-old woman, identified as Telem Thoibi, suffered three bullet injuries to the chest and one to the abdomen. Her skull was crushed with a blunt object, causing severe fractures and missing cranial membranes.
Her eyes were dislodged out of the socket and her left and right forearm were severely damaged by blunt trauma, the officials said, quoting the report, adding a vaginal smear showed absence of spermatozoa.
Besides, Thoibi’s eight-year-old daughter, Telen Thajanganbi Devi, also died from a fatal bullet wound. Vaginal swaps were collected and showed negative for spermatozoa, the officials said. She also suffered severe abdominal injuries, the report stated.
Opinions regarding the cause of death are kept pending till receipt of the chemical analysis report of viscera from the Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Guwahati.
The disturbing details of the woman, the girl and the infant were made public on Wednesday, two days after the autopsy report of three other members of the same family was released.
As per the earlier autopsy report of the three other members of the family, three-year-old Chingkhei Nganba Singh, Laishram Heitombi Devi (25), and Yurembam Rani Devi (60) bore multiple “penetrating” and “lacerated” injuries.
The report of Singh showed that his right eye was missing, and he had a bullet wound in the skull. “Lacerated injury, 4 centimetres x 3 centimetres, muscle deep, present over the right anterior chest wall,” the report noted, indicating stab wounds, according to The New Indian Express.
The report also talked about injuries suffered by Singh’s mother, L Heitonbi Devi, who had three bullet wounds in the chest and one in the buttock. Her body was received by SMCH on November 18, seven days after her death. According to the report, the child’s mother was probably killed at least two days before he and his grandmother.
Y Rani Devi, the child’s grandmother, suffered five bullet wounds, one in the skull, two in the chest, one in the abdomen, and one in the arm. The approximate time since her death was similar to that of the baby, three to five days before the body was received for autopsy.
Apart from the six family members, the latest autopsy reports also included details of two elderly men killed during the attack on November 11 by suspected Kuki militants. Their bodies were found in a charred state on November 12.
Maibam Kesho Meitei (72) suffered blunt trauma, burns, and missing body parts, while Laishram Baren Meitei (64) was found severely charred, the reports said.
According to Maibam Kesho’s autopsy report, he had a mixed flame burn that peeled off the flesh of his right hand and forearm. According to India Today, a greenish bruise with skin damage was also discovered across the right buttock’s lateral region.
According to Laishram Baren Meitei’s report, the entire body — front and back — was deeply burned, and the soft tissue, abdominal, and thoracic viscera, as well as the spinal cord and vertebral column, appeared to have been cooked.
The report showed that the entire face and the inside portion of the mouth cavity were charred, and that the skull bones had been burnt and found separated into pieces.
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The six persons belonging to the Meitei community had gone missing from a relief camp in Jiribam after
a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants that resulted in the deaths of 11 insurgents on November 11.
Their bodies were found in Jiri river in the Jiribam district and the nearby Barak River in Assam’s Cachar over the next few days.
The Imphal Valley saw massive protests in response to the killings. The lawmakers were criticised by the protesters for not doing enough to stop the increasing violence.
In response, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said massive combing operations were launched in Jiribam and its surrounding areas to apprehend the perpetrators. He assured that the operations will continue until those responsible are booked under the rule of law.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has launched an investigation into three cases of violence in Manipur, including the abduction and killing of six women and children. The agency re-registered three cases afresh on November 13 after the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to hand over the cases to it considering the gravity of the offences amid escalating violence.
More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in
ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.
With inputs from agencies
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