New Delhi: In a case that has spanned six years, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted the second closure report on Manipur youth Pravish Chanam’s mysterious death, leaving the family disappointed as they continue to seek answers and justice for their son. On September 8, 2017, Pravish fell unconscious during a concert in Delhi-NCR. He was taken to a hospital by the concert organisers. However, he later died and was allegedly cremated without his family’s knowledge. As the family sought to know the circumstances that led to his death, they discovered, what they say, “disturbing facts”. While they were successful in getting the case investigated by the CBI, and even reopening the investigation after the agency filed a closure report on 21 December 2020, they are now gearing up to challenge the second closure report.
Dushyant Kumar, the lawyer representing the family in court, said the CBI investigation fell short of expectations as it failed to address all the concerns raised by the judicial magistrate’s court that issued the reinvestigation order. Kumar told ABP Live that the family is in the process of challenging the second closure report in court.
“The CBI has filed the second closure report in this case and once again, the investigation has been deplorable. The investigation is not up to the standards one expects of the CBI. Moreover, the agency was not able to cover all the aspects in the case pointed out or observed by the court of the judicial magistrate at the time of allowing the protest petition and ordering a reinvestigation,” he said. “We are aggrieved by this report and are in the process of challenging it before the court.”
Speaking to ABP Live, Pravish's brother said: "We are not satisfied with the current closure report, and we will be challenging it. We would like the CBI to re-examine this matter."
According to the family and their lawyer, while the second closure report was submitted to the court in July 2022, they were notified about it in December and were handed over a copy of it only on April 24.
In CBI investigating officer Vinay Kumar Chaturvedi's closure report dated July 25, 2022, a copy of which was seen by ABP Live, the UP Police were criticised for their “inadequate” investigation, and there were concerns over the consequences of their mistakes. The report also concluded that there is no evidence of foul play in the case, although it suggested action against the officers responsible for the shortcomings in the investigation.
When contacted, a CBI officer, who did not wish to be identified, told ABP Live: "CBI has closed this case and we are not allowed to speak about it. For any more information, the CBI court in Ghaziabad can be contacted."
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH
Six years ago, Pravish Chanam, a 22-year-old, was reported missing from his home in Manipur’s Imphal. It was later found that he had left for Delhi to attend a concert but did not inform his immediate family members about it.
He reportedly put up with a cousin in Delhi. On September 8, 2017, he went to attend a concert by the DJ duo, The Chainsmokers, in Noida. However, he fell unconscious at the concert on the intervening night of September 8 and 9. He was immediately taken to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Multispeciality Hospital in Noida’s Sector 30.
In the meanwhile, a missing person report was filed by his cousin at the Knowledge City police station on September 9.
The investigation into his death revealed that Pravish had got out of the hospital on the morning of September 9, and returned after 15 minutes with a bottle of water in his hand, as captured on a CCTV camera. He, however, left the hospital premises again but his exit was not captured on any CCTV camera, the family and their lawyer said, quoting investigation details.
At 3.10 pm, they said, he was spotted on CCTV footage from a hotel in Sector 31, Noida. According to bystanders, he seemed disoriented at the time. He was recorded on the footage walking right in the middle of the road, oblivious to the traffic around him. He then went and sat in an e-rickshaw and tried to tell the driver something using hand gestures, as seen in the footage. Investigators revealed that all that the driver told them all that he could make out was that Pravish had been hit by a two-wheeler. He also said Pravish suddenly got out of the e-rickshaw and walked away.
At 4 pm, he was reportedly spotted by a roadside vendor lying on the road near Nithari market, breathing heavily. He also had injuries on his face and bandages on his limbs. He apparently lay there unconscious for about an hour, before a local shopowner tried to revive him by sprinkling water on his face. However, Pravish started frothing at the mouth, when the police were informed and they took him back to the same hospital, where he was declared “brought dead”.
An autopsy was conducted on September 11, and its report mentioned shock and haemorrhage due to head injury and traumatic swelling of the skull as the cause of death. The body was cremated by the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Multispeciality Hospital authorities on September 13.
WHAT THE FAMILY CLAIMS
The family of Pravish Chanam has accused the police of negligence, alleging delay in circulating the missing person report to other police stations in Noida. Pravish’s brother Ravikanta Chanam told ABP Live: “We repeatedly asked the officers at Knowledge Park Police Station to circulate the missing person report, but they dragged their feet. After pressuring them for two days, they finally agreed and circulated the report on September 11.”
The family also said the hospital authorities failed to inform them that Pravish had been cremated when they went there to enquire about him on September 13. The hospital showed them Pravish’s CCTV footage when he exited the premises first time, and said that they did not know what happened to him after he left.
After failing to locate him, the family filed another complaint, this time at the Sector 20 police station, where they were informed of an unclaimed body with a description that matched Pravish. The police told them that the body had been sent to BR Ambedkar Hospital. They rushed to the hospital again and were this time handed Pravish’s cremation certificate.
Media reports from the time said how the family accused the police of negligence, and the hospital authorities of questionable conduct as they were not informed about Pravish's death and his body was cremated without their knowledge. The post-mortem report revealed injuries on Pravish's body, leading to suspicion of foul play.
Post-Mortem Report, Protests In Northeast, Delhi
The post-mortem report revealed injuries on Pravish's body, raising suspicion of negligence or foul play.
The family believes the handling of Pravish Chanam's case raises serious concerns, and points to negligence and inefficiency on the part of the police and the hospital authorities. Though they filed the missing complaint on September 9, it took the Knowledge City police two days to prepare the missing person pamphlet. This delay, they said, reflected a lack of urgency in finding Pravish.
Even after the pamphlets were prepared on September 11, the family said, they were not circulated to other police stations, media outlets, or authorities in Sector 20, Noida, and the Nithari Police Chowki. This hindered the chances of locating Pravish on time, said the family members who were “left with unanswered questions”.
They also questioned the conduct of the Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital authorities, questioning why Pravish was allowed to leave the premises without being officially discharged.
Seeking reinvestigation, the family and their lawyer had cited the post-mortem report, which highlighted head injuries and physical injuries “consistent with criminal intent”.
After the news of Pravish’s mysterious death spread, there were protests in Delhi and Manipur, which prompted the case to be transferred to the CBI.
Action By UP, Manipur Govts
In September 2017, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had met his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath and was assured of speedy justice in the case.
A month later, Pravish's family approached the then-Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla.
Four months after his meeting with the UP CM, Biren Singh expressed gratitude to him for referring the Pravish Chanam case to the CBI, fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Manipur. In a tweet, he called it a “murder case”.
CBI Investigation
After investigation, the CBI concluded that Pravish's death was accidental. The family disputed the conclusion and filed a protest petition, alleging incomplete investigation and irregularities, and requesting a reinvestigation by a competent CBI officer. Accepting the family's petition, the CBI court in Ghaziabad heard the arguments and issued an order on September 30, 2021, for a fresh investigation into the death of Pravish Chanam.
According to media reports from the time, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the “inadequate investigation” carried out by the UP Police, and emphasised the need for further inquiry, noting an “absence of vital information”. The court also highlighted negligence on the part of the police and called for stringent action against the officials responsible for the “inadequate” investigation in 2019.
With the CBI now filing a second closure report after finding no suspect in the mysterious death of Pravish Chanam, the family is all set to fight another legal battle in their quest for justice.