This is the story of Ngurang Reena, who is a former lecturer at the University of Delhi and currently a research scholar at JNU, New Delhi. She shared the story of her father’s alleged murder on November 18, 2017 and her family’s fight for justice.
‘The dead cannot cry out for justice. The living must do so for them.’
-Lois McMaster
Have you ever lost your dear ones to a tragic death? If yes, you know how it hurts. But when you have lost your dear ones to murder, how do you console your aching heart?
I lost my father to a brutal murder on November 18, 2017. A part of me died with him.
My family has stopped ‘living’, and every day from then on has been nothing but a quest for answers, peace and justice.
With papa We are nine siblings
I am Ngurang Reena, a former lecturer at the University of Delhi and currently a research scholar at JNU, New Delhi. I write my story today, as an exasperated citizen of India and as a disheartened daughter who has struggled to have access to justice for my father’s murder. I write on behalf of my family that have been left behind, tormented over our father’s death.
When decisions become arbitrary, all accountability is lost, and today, we, the aggrieved family after having persisted for two years are exasperated, yet we continue to seek answers and justice. Though we still have faith in the institutions that were put in place to guarantee us our constitutional and human rights, we might also be growing out of patience of this vile world. I hope I can find answers in this life for my mother, for my siblings and for most importantly for me.
November 18, 2017: The 2 PM Phone Call From My Mother
“Na Abu Sipepa, Na Abu Sipepa!”- “Your father is found dead! “
I was in Delhi when I received my mother’s phone call, and my father’s news threw me off the cliff. How could I believe what I had just heard? I screamed at my mother for putting up a nasty joke and hurled my phone onto my bed. Almost feeling nothing, I kept staring at my phone. Those few seconds of my life, ah, words fail; I think my heart broke into two. “No! No! No!” I kept muttering under my nose, praying to my God to undo the news from my mother. There are certain things in life which you despise to be true; this was one such case. I prayed to all the Gods in heaven, asking them to undo the 2 PM phone call.
I was reluctant to call my mother; I knew she was in a terrible state. After some time, I gathered the courage to call my siblings in the hope that they would dismiss the news. The only response from my siblings was, “Come home!”
“No! No! No!” I sobbed with a quiver. A part of me died with my father on November 18, 2017.
The journey from Delhi’s airport to my hometown was treacherous. Tears wouldn’t stop rolling. It took me sixteen hours to arrive home to see my father’s dead body; it was the longest day of my life. I locked myself in the flight’s washroom for some moments.
I was and am furious that my state doesn’t have an airport yet, and that it took me several hours to reach home. I am outraged that I don’t have access to good public educational institutions and I had to move to Delhi for better livelihood.
A few hours later, my family learnt that his death was a murder. Our lives are no longer the same, they have come to a standstill.
Papa’s burial photo: CM Pema Khandu
Case Details: What We Know So Far
My father, late Ngurang Pinch’s body was found in the river near Ramgath, on the confluence of Papum and Poma rivers, under Poma-Jote circle in Arunachal Pradesh, early morning on November 18 by his friends and colleagues. My father had left home on 17th morning for a rafting expedition upon an invitation from his friends (former ministers). Since the plan was last-minute, only his wife saw him leaving and had helped him pack his bags for a night’s stay. His bag contained a sleeping bag, bed sheets, blanket, thermos filled with hot water, and medicines along with his handbag and mobile phone.
It is important to note that none of us had any information about the participants of the expedition. He had only told his wife that two of his friends, who were former ministers, were picking him up.
It was a few hours after his death that new pieces of information were revealed to the family. The rafting guide, Ngurang Nega, who is the youngest of the participants, had come to us on the 18th and informed us about the number of participants in the expedition. He first told us that there were only eight members – former ministers and a few government employees. However, his story lacked consistency, and we weren’t convinced. After much persuasion, he later confirmed that he was pressurised to lie and that he wanted to clarify things this time. His new testimonies revealed that there were twenty-one members – opposition party members, two police personnel, two state-recognized criminals at loose with ‘shoot at sight order’, and four of my father’s…
