Namchi: The family members of Padam Gurung, who was found dead under mysterious condition inside a drain in Sikkim’s Namchi town, have suspected foul play behind the death of the student leader.
They alleged that it was a planned murder and not an accident as believed earlier.
22-year-old Padam Gurung was the president of Government College in Namchi. He was found dead in a drain near a pub in Namchi’s Kazitar area. The incident, which unfolded just days before the annual college fest, has sparked a controversy as students and family members are now claiming foul play.
Prem Gurung, brother of Padam Gurung, told to EastMojo: “We as a family are seeking justice. We do not think or believe that our brother fell into the drain. This seems to be a case of murder. The police called my uncle to inform him around 2:30 am on June 27 that Padam fell into the drain, but the body had not been recovered until then. We reached the spot around 4 am. By that time, the police had carried out their search operations. It appears that my brother was with four friends who informed the police that he fell into a drain. But by the time we reached, those friends were nowhere to be seen. Police told us that they had gone to their respective rooms. Even though my brother’s friends had my phone number, they didn’t contact me to inform about his death.”
Claiming foul play Prem Gurung further said, “As per the CCTV footage, he fell into the drain around 11:15 pm. However, this was not seen in the footage. When the fire department conducted search operation, they did not find the body there. Even when the public conducted the search, they didn’t find the body. When we reached around 4 am, the body was not where it was found.”
Padam’s brother requested the police to summon four of his deceased brother’s friends who were with him on that fateful night. He said, “As soon as his friends were called to reach the spot, we went searching. When they were searching for the body, they found it at the location that was earlier searched by the fire department, the police and the locals. His body was fished out of the drain. During preliminary examination, it appeared as though it was a fresh incident. The blood pouring from his ear and the injuries on his forehead were fresh. After seeing that, we were convinced it was not an accident but a murder.”
“CCTV footage shows that he was with four of his friends and three girls. The identity of the girls is unknown and appears that they ran away after the incident. They were seen getting out of the pub together. I have retrieved the girls’ photos and phone numbers. I have submitted all information to the police. Police have decided to summon these suspects also for interrogation. When I checked Padam’s phone after the police handed it over to me, I found that he had called two of his four friends around 11:26 pm and 11:27 pm on July 27. The police, however, said that he fell around 11:15 pm, adding more suspicion into the incident,” Prem Gurung said.
Padam’s brother also said that his brother was facing some threats from his fellow students and outsiders. He said, “Now we came to know that my brother was receiving some form of harassment and threats from his fellow college students almost 5 days before his death. The College Principal was appraised of it and his friends asked the Principal to beef up his security. But he refused to take any action then. He had told our sister that he was facing some torture in the college.”
The post mortem report of Padam was also handed over to the family on July 2. Prem said, “The report suggests that he had water in his lungs, some sand particles, suggesting he was drowned. There were 18 injury marks on my brother’s body. Some evidences also suggest that he was hit with a rod, a brass knuckle on his forehead.”
The Sikkim Police has formed a special investigation team to probe into the death of a student leader, a senior officer said.
Namchi Superintendent of Police Manish Verma said, “An SIT has been formed to probe into the death of the student leader. There is a process of investigation thus time is needed. We will leave no stone unturned.”
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Meanwhile, representatives of the Sikkim Democratic Front students’ wing met with the SP and submitted a memorandum, demanding a transparent and prompt investigation into the death case.
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