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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Manipur
Assam Rifles gunned down Keisham
Basanta alias Ingocha, suspected district
commander of the armed opposition
group, PREPAK, at Wabagai Tentha Road
crossing near a Buffalo farm under
Kakching Police Station in Thoubal
district. The Assam Rifles claimed that one
US-made 9 mm pistol with three bullets
and one .36 hand grenade were recovered.
He had reportedly joined the PREPAK
about ten years back. Family sources,
however, said that the Assam Rifles
arrested him on 8 March 2004 from a
house in Wabagai. 14
Twenty-two-year-old Khundrakpam
Tejkumar, a third year BA student of D M
College of Arts, Imphal, was allegedly
picked up near from his residence at
Uripok Khoisnam Leikai area in Imphal
West district around 12.30 a.m. on the
intervening night of 9 and 10 March 2004
by the Assam Rifles personnel. Tejkumar
was participating in a Holi sports meet. On
the morning of 10 March 2004, his dead
body with bullet marks was reportedly
found near a college in Naoremthong area
of Imphal West, around two km from
where he was picked up. 15 While the
Assam Rifles claimed that Tej Kumar was
killed in an encounter, the Uripok area
residents charged the Assam Rifles
personnel of killing him in cold blood. 16
The Assam Rifles personnel shot dead
one Khwairakpam Ratan Singh near his
house at New Sekmai under Sekmai police
station at 5 a.m. on 10 March 2004. The
Assam Rifles claimed that some members
of the armed opposition group had fired at
154
them in the area and that Ratan Singh was
killed in the gunfight. They also claimed to
have recovered one 9 mm pistol and three
live rounds of ammunition from him.
However, the family members of the
victim rejected the Assam Rifles claim and
stated that Ratan had been picked up
shortly before he was shot dead. 17
In the wee hours of 10 March 2004,
the Assam Rifles personnel reportedly shot
dead one Debeswar Singh in an alleged
encounter at Waithou in Thoubal district
and claimed that they found one .38
revolver, one Kenwood set and one
Chinese hand grenade. However, the
family members of the deceased said he
was picked up from his house on 9 March
2004. They, however, admitted that
Debeswar was a former activist of a
banned armed opposition group. 18
On the intervening night of 14 and 15
March 2004, Khumanthem Ajitkumar alias
Naoba of Karang Mamang Leikai under
Patsoi police station was allegedly
extrajudicially executed by the army. At
about 1 am on 15 March 2004, the army
personnel reportedly came and forced
open the main door of the deceased’s
house, severely beaten his younger brother
Dilip Kumar and father Nagor Singh. They
also beat up the deceased and ransacked
his room. He was asked to change from his
Khudei to a pant, and forced to lead the
security personnel to the residence of one
Mayanglambam Mani at Kachikhul
Mamang Leikai but Mani was not at home.
Thereafter he was taken to his elder sister,
Romita’s residence at Taokhong Lamkhai,