Ukhrul: South District Saket Court on July 31 in a State Vs Pushpam Kumar case has convicted accused, Pushpam Kumar of Kankad Bagh Patna in the 2009 brutal murder case of a 19-year-old Ramchanphy Hongray of Manipur’s Ukhrul District. The judgement read “The prosecution has proved the charge for the offence punishable u/s 302 IPC and Section 201 IPC against accused Pushpam Kumar beyond any shadow of doubt.” Ramchanphy Hongray was the daughter of Ramyo Hongray of Green Land Ukhrul. She was the third in the seven siblings of five boys and two girls.
“The murder case has been dragging on for the last 14 long years, Timila Hongray [Atim], elder sister of Late Ramchanphy Hongray in a sigh of relief told Ukhrul Times over the phone, now married and settled. Atim who used to then work in a restaurant at Connaught Place in 2009 said she would leave for work at 1 pm and return home at 1 am routinely.
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Ramchanphy in the October month of 2009 went to visit her elder sister Atim in New Delhi. She was then doing her 9th grade in Model High School, Ukhrul and planned to return back to her hometown Ukhrul the same year in December. Atim recounted that tickets were already booked in advance. Since she was new to the city, Atim had advised her to bolt the doors from inside as Ramchanphy had complaint of unknow person knocking at the door while she was alone during those periods Atim was not around. Ramchanphy taking Atim’s advice, stayed most of the time indoor while her elder sister went to work.
Prosecution Evidence, crucial to the case stated that on “October 24, 2009 between 01:30 PM to 06:00 PM at A-80, 2nd Floor, Munirka Village, New Delhi, accused caused death of Ms. Ramchanphy by strangulating her and after causing her death, accused burnt her face and body on the gas stove in order to cause disappearance of the evidence with the intention to save himself from the legal punishment.”
Akshya Kumar Sharma (Advocate), Special Public Prosecutor appointed for this case by Lieutenant Governor of Delhi specifically for this case told Ukhrul Times, the case was a very tricky one since there was no eye witness to the crime committed. The main witness, head constable from the crime team, Raj Kumar also had passed away when the court had summoned him for his statement. The judgement was based on circumstantial evidence established by the prosecutor since both the victim and the accused were living in the same flat as tenants in 2009.
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That fateful Saturday in October 24, 2009, Atim received a call from her brother Yaokhalek Hongray from a phone booth (PCO) telling her that something terrible had happened to Ramchanphy and told her to return home immediately. The shaky voice of Yaokhalek Hongray over the telephone line abruptly ended, followed by similar brief urgent calls to her sister Atim, but only to add that there was a gas cylinder explosion in the small rented apartment. When Atim reached her apartment on the second floor A-80, Munirka Village, climbing up the stairs crowds had already assembled, especially from the Tangkhul community upon hearing the news.
In one of the news reports of 2009, Dhaliwal, DCP, South Delhi told that accused put her face on the gas burner and burnt her face and torso. He had the entire sequence of events in his head and gave alibis so that no one suspected him. Atim narrated the exact manner of the crime scene to this reporter. It was also reported that the accused to cover up his criminal act and present the murder as a case of suicide poured kerosene over the victim’s body and set it on fire burning parts of Ramchanphy’s body.
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Atim further told that the doctors who performed postmortem also said that the cause of the victim’s death was strangulation, and not because of cylinder explosion, hence a murder case. The same was mentioned in the July 31 judgement, postmortem General Observation: “Deep burns present on the back of the neck between the two shoulders at the back and occipital scalp; Neck-The skin of the back and side of the neck completely charred. The muscles of the back of the neck are charred and that of anterior neck and soft tissues of anterior neck are harden due to prolonged burning.”
Ramchanphy Hongray’s burnt body was discovered by her brother Yaokhalek Hongray on October 24, 2009 (Saturday). The accused Pushpam Kumar was arrested on October 25, 2009 (Sunday) as he surrendered himself to the Vasant Vihar police station at Munirka and confessed his crime.
‘A maniac and a pervert’, words used by the Delhi Police to describe IIT student PushpamKumar, now a killer, NTDV had reported in 2009.
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Several student communities, organisations, dignitaries from Northeast, especially from Manipur State in groups had protested at New Delhi over the brutal murder case of Ramchanphy Hongray in 2009, and several such cases of discrimination and murders meted out to Northeast people living in the national capital, demanding justice. The Tangkhul Katamnao Long Delhi, Tangkhul Naga Society, Manipuri Diaspora Association Delhi, Tripura Students’ Forum, Hmar Students’ Association, Khasi Students’ Union and several other organisation including the NPMHR, North East Support Centre and Helpline protested over the brutal murder.
A memorandum to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also address to Home Minister, was submitted in a protest rally at Jantar Mantar along with a meeting that was held with the then Chief Minister Late Shiela Dikshit, along with Member of Parliament Late Oscar Fernandes. The memorandum was also addressed to the CM, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and the Commissioner of Delhi police, and to all the Member of Parliaments of of all the 8 Northeast states and Governors of Northeast.
The judgment passed on July 31 stated, During interrogation by the Investigation Officer (IO) from accused Pushpam, sister of deceased namely Timila 1-longray, her brother Yaokhalek Hongray and her relative Florance came in the PS. After deep interrogation, accused ‘Pushpam confessed his guilt and 10 recorded his disclosure statement (Ex. PW2/D). The accused was arrested vide arrest memo (Ex. PW2/E) and his personal search was conducted vide personal search memo (Ex. PW2/F).
In conclusion the judgement read, In light of above discussion, the prosecution has established the complete chain of circumstances and has proved beyond any doubt that it was accused Pushpam Kumar who committed the murder of 19 years old girl Ramchanphy on 24.10.2009 in kitchen on the second floor of house no. A-80, Munirka Village, New Delhi by throttling. After she died, accused subject the neck portion and the upper portion her dead body to prolonged burning on the gas stove to cause disappearance of evidence against him to screen himself from legal punishment.
Ramchanphy’s mortal remains was brought back to her native place Ukhurl on October 26, 2009 and was laid to rest.
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