in connection with their stories published in Vol.6, Issue No.31, of the New Delhi based Tehelka Magazine.
The issue carried a cover story along with a graphic photo account of the July 23 BT Road firing incident.
The commission served its official summon of the two witnesses of Tehelka Magazine through Tarun J.Tejpal, editor Tehelka Weekly directing the two witnesses to appear before the commission’s hearing scheduled on December 16 at Imphal Hotel.
The commission has also issued a fresh summon to Golmei Mangal Rongmei and Th James who were the injured in the July 23 incident to give their statements before the commission on the same day.
The commission has also decided to conduct a physical inspection and verification of the site of the July 23 incident at BT road on the day.
Earlier, Justice PG Agarwal arrived in Imphal from Guwahati this morning in time to chair the hearing at Hotel Imphal.
A key witness, Takhellambam Ranbir Singh son of  T Pishak Singh of Kongba near Standard College gate who is the owner of watch repairing shop at BT Road, inside whose shop the dead body of Sanjit was recovered by the police deposed before the commission today.
Giving his witness account, he maintained that his watch repairing shop, Social Time Emporium, at BT Road, Imphal has a common entrance with Maimu Pharmacy.
He further stated that on July 23 he opened his shop at about 9.30 am. While he was attending to his customers, he heard gunshots around 10.30 am. Later he saw some persons running on the road. He also saw many police personnel. Seeing all these, he got frightened and hid himself below the counter of his shop.
He further said he also heard sounds of some persons inside his shop and also heard on eperson shouting ‘who is inside’, ‘who is inside’, “come out” in Manipuri. Thereafter, he heard gunshots.
Not much later someone asked him to get up and he saw police personnel inside the shop.
He further, mentioned that, the police personnel asked him to go out of the shop and accordingly he came out of the shop, and instantly he saw a person lying in his godown.
He said he could see the person as the door of the godown was open. He also testified the persons who entered the godown were not known to him.
He said, he saw the person who was lying inside the godown was wearing black black shirt, soon after he entered into the adjacent Maimu Pharmacy, where he heard the frantic voices shouting ‘call our people’, ‘call our people’,  “bring vehicle’.
He further testified before the commission that after sometime the police personnel left the place and he re-entered his shop and found that the man who was lying in the godown was no more there.
He clarified before the commission today that, he did not know who removed the dead body from his godown, and later on, he himself along with the proprietor of Maimu Pharmacy closed their shops and left the place he added before the commission.
It may be mentioned that, the commission at the initial stages faced serious problems over failure of response from witnesses in compliance to a call of Apunba Lup not to cooperate with the inquiry.
Later however, on with multiple issuance of official summons from the commission and using of legal proceedings by the commission, many witnesses amongst the victims and others have started turning up gradually to give their witness account before the commission.

Imphal Free Press