The killings triggered ethnic tensions between the Meitei and Naga communities and led to a series of bandhs in Manipur.
KRC TIMES National Bureau
New Delhi | The Supreme Court on Monday suspended the life sentence of a self-styled NSCN-IM lieutenant convicted in the 2009 abduction and killing of three Manipur government officials in Ukhrul district. A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale took note of Hopeson Nignshen’s incarceration for more than 17 years and granted him suspension of sentence while his appeal remains pending.
The court, however, directed Nignshen to remain within the territorial limits of Delhi and not leave the national capital until his appeal is decided. The Manipur government opposed the plea seeking suspension of the sentence.
The Delhi High Court had on November 20, 2019 upheld the trial court’s 2014 conviction of Nignshen and the life imprisonment awarded to him for the abduction and killing of three government officials.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Nignshen and other National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) militants abducted Dr Thingnam Kishan Singh, the then SDO-cum-BDO of Kasom Khullen in Ukhrul district, along with five members of his personal staff on February 13, 2009.
The militants allegedly released three of the abducted persons the following day. The three – Ram Singh Siro, Ramthing Singlai and Kapangkhui Jajo – belonged to the Naga community, the CBI had said.
Kishan Singh, Y Token Singh and A Rajen Sharma were allegedly killed. Their bodies were later recovered from the banks of the Taphao Kuki river near Senapati, according to the investigating agency.
The killings triggered ethnic tensions between the Meitei and Naga communities and led to a series of bandhs in Manipur. In view of the sensitivity of the case, the state government handed over the investigation to the CBI, which arrested Nignshen on May 29, 2009.
The case was later transferred from Manipur to Delhi on the Supreme Court’s direction in May 2010 after the CBI expressed apprehension over threats to Nignshen’s life and the possibility of unrest if he was produced before a court in Manipur.
The trial court had also convicted Nignshen of looting belongings of the deceased and imposed a fine of Rs 35,000. The Supreme Court’s latest order relates only to suspension of the sentence pending disposal of his appeal and does not amount to an acquittal.
