Gangtok: A month after the death of student leader Padam Gurung, his brother Prem Gurung has accused Sikkim Police personnel from Namchi district of intimidating witnesses to frame him for kidnapping and bribing them to provide false statements.
The allegations surfaced after a viral video statement was released by three witnesses who claimed to have witnessed the alleged murder of Padam Gurung during an altercation involving him, other accused students, and a restaurant owner.
Prem Gurung said, “I deny that I have been paying the witnesses or have kidnapped the three witnesses to give the statement. I have not met the three witnesses, but I beleive in those three girls.”
In response to the witnesses’ statement, the five accused students from Namchi Government College defended themselves, asserting that Padam Gurung’s death was not a murder. The restaurant owner, Keshav Thatal, also denied the accusations made by Gurung’s family and the witnesses, stating that he was being falsely implicated for causing harm to Padam Gurung using a brass knuckle.
Prem Gurung held a press conference in Gangtok, where he accused the Sikkim Police of attempting to protect the accused individuals and forcing witnesses’ parents to provide counter statements to the media or file an FIR against him. He claimed that the police coerced witnesses’ parents to give false accounts and also received threats from unknown individuals, some claiming to be police officials, regarding the location of the witnesses.
During the press conference, Gurung had a phone conversation on speaker mode with one of the witness’s mothers, who confirmed the police’s pressure on her husband to provide false statements against their daughter’s account of the crime. She expressed concerns for her daughter’s safety and accused the Sikkim Police of prioritising the protection of the accused over that of witnesses.
Prem Gurung supported the claims made by the witnesses in the viral video, denying any involvement in paying or kidnapping them. He highlighted the consistency between the audio clip of the witnesses’ initial account, shared a month ago, and their current statements in the video. Gurung also refuted the counter statements made by the five accused students, asserting that they had changed their version of events to protect themselves.
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Expressing loss of faith in the Sikkim Police, Gurung accused them of suppressing evidence and intimidating witnesses. He expressed doubts about the one-man judicial inquiry committee, led by a retired judge, as it relies on reports submitted by the Sikkim Police and the Special Investigation Team, which have disregarded crucial evidence, including CCTV footage and videos from local residents indicating the altercation involving his brother and others.
Amidst the escalating situation, Gurung demanded protection for the witnesses, raising concerns about their safety and the integrity of the investigation.
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