Rahul Moirangthem is innocent, says family & friends

New Delhi, July 24, 2015: Rahul Moirangthem is innocent who was arrested and now lodged in Tihar Jail, New Delhi based on false allegations of Delhi Police, claimed the family of Rahul Moirangthem on Friday.

This statement was made by Rahul’s family during the press conference held at Press Club of India, New Delhi on Friday. The press conference was called by the Committee for Justice and Release of Rahul Moirangthem (CJRR), New Delhi, headed by its convener Mr Thothuingam Shinglai, Dr Alana Golmei, founding member & general secretary of North East Support Centre & Helpline (NESCH), Mr David Boyes, Convenor of North East India Forum Against Racisim (NEIFAR), Mr Roshmaani, advoicate, and Ms Supriya Moirangthem, sister of Rahul Moirangthem.

The Committee for Justice and Release of Rahul Moirangthem (CJRR) strongly objected and condemned the wrongful arrest of an innocent northeast youth, Rahul Moirangthem by the Delhi Police.

“It is a very unfortunate for Rahul and his family as well as for all of us, who were being targeted as the criminals,” said Mr Shinglai.

Friends of Rahul Moirangthem were also present during the press conference and expressed their solidarity in supporting the release of their innocent friend Rahul. Rahul’s friends stated that he was an innocent and kind person in contrast to the police version carried by the mainstream media in the past recent.

A Class XII student of Mount Carmel School in Anand Niketan, Rahul Moirangthem, was arrested in connection with the alleged vandalized of Holy Child Auxilium School in Vasant Vihar, south Delhi on February 13, 2015 at around 3am.

“Rahul have his CBSE 12^th exam on the same day (Feb 13) in the afternoon. He was with me and my two daughters the whole night preparing for his exam when the alleged crime took place. It is impossible for Rahul to be at two places at the same time,” said Mr Ramdon Moirangthem, father of Rahul.

He said that Rahul is not aware of the existence of Holy Child Auxilium School and has never been there. So the allegation that his fingerprint matches with a fingerprint found in Holy Child Auxilium School principal’s office is baseless and it is an attempt to implicate him. Because he held from Northeast India who are often the victims of character assignation and various discrimination in the hands of Delhi Police.

“Rahul was forcibly made to sign on four blank sheets by Delhi Police and his fingerprints were also taken on four different papers on May 29, 2015. This is a serious matter and we fare that his fingerprint will be missed by Delhi Police,” said Rahul’s father. He added that Rahul was taken twice to Holy Child Auxilium, where his son was being videotaped each time. “It is very likely that police used that video to implicate guiltless Rahul. Delhi Police gave out wrong information to mainstream media which was published across the cities”.

Rahul and his two friends – Shangpungman, also a student of Mt Carmel School and Kalakgui, who passed out from Mt Carmel last year, who had decided to take photographs at the main gate of their school on the night of May 28, 2015 at around 9pm.

According to the sources the police official who were standing outside the gate objected and enquired from them. Rahul and his friends told that they were students of this school and they are taking some photographs for keeping the memory of their school friends but the police official did not allow them and there raised some hot arguments with the police. The police has beaten Rahul with wood stick due to which he received an injury in his leg. When the trio raised objection then the police has falsely implicated Rahul and his friends in a false case by making a concocted story. Since then Rahul has been taken in judicial custody.

It is learnt that Rahul and Shangpungman have recently received their results of XII class before the incident occurred. Rahul had to go to his native place, Manipur in summer vacation in the next day early morning by flight at 7.45am.  

On May 11, 2015 at around 11am, policemen went to the residence of Shangpungman’s aunt in Motibagh Nanakpura, south Delhi. They asked for Shangpungman, Rahul and Kalakgui. Police told Shangpungman’s aunt that some verification was needed and the fingerprints which were taken previously (on May 29) were not clear, so they wanted to retake the fingerprints. However, they reached Vasant Vihar police station, it resulted in them being interrogated by the Special Task Force regarding the Holy Child Auxilium School.  The family was not informed about the arrest without arrest warrant.

On May 12, 2015 at around 1am, police took the trio on the pretext of medical checkup at AIIMS but instead some pictures and thumb prints of the trio were taken. Later at around 2am, Shangpungman and Kalakgui were handed over to their respective family by the police on juvenile ground. But Rahul was held back with the excuse of his fingerprint matching with fingerprints taken from the Holy Child Auxilium School. Police also claimed that the figure in the CCTV camera matched Rahul’s silhouette. His parents were inform only on the following morning that he has to be taken to court by the police.

The Committee for Justice and Release of Rahul Moirangthem (CJRR) has appeal justice for Rahul to immediately release from incarceration unconditionally and take strong action against the police involved in implicating innocent Rahul. The committee also appeal to the media to write the real stores of Rahul Moirangthem.

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