A Study of Homicide Victims in JNIMS Hospital, Imphal

Homicide cases are often intriguing and challenging to the investigative agencies. They often have local or regional characteristics, as well as various intricacies, which require thorough analysis and understanding for the administration of justice and to deter such incidences from recurring. In our study, 176 homicide victims brought to Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) Morgue, Imphal, between 2010–2014 were analysed. Most of the homicide victims were young men in the age group 21 to 40 years (106 cases); 152 cases were males. The victims were mostly militants or surrendered militants (90 cases), followed by unemployed persons (54 cases), security personnel (18 cases), businessmen(9 cases) and govt. employees(5 cases). The commonest means of committing the crime was by the use of firearm (108 cases), followed by blunt weapons (44 cases) and sharp and penetrating weapons (23 cases). Of the total 176 cases, in 72 cases, the offenders could not be identified. Among the identified offenders, 47 were shot dead by security personnel, 22 were militants and 21 were either relatives or friend. Notably, a significant number (12 cases) of homicides resulted from mob lynching, in which the victims were mostly accused of theft or anti-social acts.