Manipur violence | Youth taken off police van by mob, lynched on May 4: FIR

According to a suo motu FIR later filed at Porompat police station in Imphal East by the Sub-Inspector (SI) in-charge of the case in which Vaiphei had been apprehended, the student was killed by a mob while being taken from the Manipur High Court complex to Central Jail, Sajiwa.

According to the police complaint, he had been produced for judicial remand before the court of Duty Magistrate, Imphal West, that afternoon and had been remanded to judicial custody. It states that he was being taken to the jail in the presence of the investigating officer, another SI and a team from Imphal police station, but that they were met by “a big unruly mob numbering around 800, including men and women” which, the complaint states, was checking all vehicles including those of police. It states that the team reached out to the Imphal West SP Control Room for assistance but that “the unruly mob overpowered me (SI) and my team and forcibly pulled down the accused from the vehicle”.

According to the complaint, the mob “snatched” the arms and ammunition from the police and attacked them with “iron rods, sticks, etc”.

The complaint states the police team was overpowered by the crowd and were assaulted “with deadly weapons” while trying to save Vaiphei, during the course of which police personnel also sustained injuries.

In the complaint, the SI stated the cops fled the spot while Vaiphei was attacked and killed by the mob.

“Who could have imagined that a repost would lead to his death?” his aunt Rosie said to The Indian Express. She added, “But that’s one part of it. The other is that the violence had already started the previous day. When he was vulnerable because of his identity, when there were so many mobs, why did the police need to take him around the city like that?,” she said.