A young Muslim man named Ikamul Hussain lost his life while in the “custody” of local residents of Ward No. 11 of Chumukedima in Nagaland. He was suspected of being connected to a theft case.
On September 19, the Chumukedima Police Station received a distress call reporting the “detention” of Ikamul Hussain by the local youth. Responding to the call, the police arrived at the scene to discover Hussain in an unconscious state. They rushed him to the District hospital in Dimapur for immediate medical attention.
Despite the efforts of the medical professionals at the hospital, Ikamul Hussain was declared brought dead by the attending doctor. The cause of death is yet to be officially determined, pending further investigation.
In response to this incident, the Chumukedima Police Station took six individuals into custody in connection with Ikamul Hussain’s death. They have been identified as Mhasisetuo Thepa, Kenelelie Chalie, Lhouseville Doze, Job Venuh, Kekhrieselie Lezetsu, and Nirmal Saikia. A case has been registered against these individuals under the relevant sections of the law.
According to eyewitnesses, Ikamul’s body displayed clear signs of injuries inflicted by the local Chumukedima Youth, suggesting that they took matters into their own hands and tortured him to death.
“The reason for this brutal act is still unclear, as it hasn’t been established whether Ikamul was indeed a thief or innocent. What’s even more disturbing is that, instead of waiting for a thorough investigation, a group of local youths decided to take matters into their own hands and resort to physical violence in their impromptu inquiry,” a local told media.
Ahidur Rehman, President of the Muslim Council Dimapur (MCD), said that he visited the District Hospital Dimapur upon receiving information about the incident from the police.
“As a human, everyone has to condemn this barbaric act of local youths for which a person lost his life even though it is still not clear whether he was a thief.” – MCD President Rehman was quoted as saying by NLTV.
