annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Manipur
the withdrawal of the Armed Forces
Special Powers Act (AFSPA) of 1958.
An array of leaders from the central
government including Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh visited Manipur in
2004. In November 2004, Prime Minister
formally handed over the Kangla Fort to
the State government. In December, a
Committee to Review the Armed Forces
Special Powers Act (AFSPA) of 1958 was
established. But peace remained elusive in
Manipur.
There are about two dozens armed
opposition groups in Manipur. The main
groups are United National Liberation
Front (UNLF), People’s Revolutionary
Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), Kanglei
Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL), People’s United
Liberation Front (PULF), North East
Minority Peoples Front (NEMPF), Islamic
National Front, Islamic Revolutionary
Front (IRF), United Islamic Liberation
Army (UILA), both Issac-Muivah and
Kaplang factions of the National Socialist
Council of Nagaland, Kuki National Army
(KNA), Kuki National Front (KNF), Kuki
Revolutionary Army (KRA) and Zomi
Revolutionary Army (ZRA). 1
While the precise number of central
armed forces such as the Assam Rifles,
Gorkha Rifles, Border Security Force
personnel etc deployed in Manipur is not
known, 16 additional companies of central
paramilitary forces were deployed after
the civil disobedience movement started
on 15 July 2004. 2
The security forces were responsible
for systematic and gross human rights
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violations including arbitrary arrest,
detention, torture, rape and extrajudicial
execution.
Although on 10 May 2004, the
Gauhati High Court found the 14 Sikh
Light infantry guilty of extrajudicially
killing a civilian, T Moni in 1998, 3 most
extrajudicial executions go unpunished. In
2004, the State government ordered eight
inquiries into the alleged extrajudicial
executions of 10 persons including 75year-old
retired school teacher, L.D.
Rengtuiwan. Not a single report has been
made public.
While altogether 264 cadres
belonging to different banned
organisations have reportedly been
detained under the National Security Act
(NSA) since January 2002 to 31 May
2004, 4 the State government also used the
NSA to suppress the civil disobedience
movement against the AFSPA. On 19
August 2004, the State government of
Manipur detained 20 persons under
National Security Act to suppress the civil
disobedience movement against the
AFSPA of 1958. 5 On 20 August 2004, the
State Government slapped the National
Security Act on 12 more persons,
including 11 women who were picked up
from Moirang Hanuba Leirak on 19
August 2004 on charges of burning the
national flag. 6
The armed opposition groups have
also been responsible for systematic
violations of international humanitarian
law standards such as kidnapping, hostage
taking, extortion and killings. On 22