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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Manipur
Bungte Chiru village after hearing the
shrieks of his son, who was being beaten
up, when the AR troops shot at him at
around 9.30 p.m. without giving any
warning. He was killed on the spot. His
wife, Thangmuchim, was also shot in the
leg when she rushed out of the house on
hearing gunshots. 45 On 16 December 2004,
the state government instituted a judicial
inquiry headed by retired sessions judge C
Upendra Singh. 46
On the evening of 23 December 2004,
the army troops brought a body to the
Churachandpur district hospital morgue for
identification claiming that the deceased
was killed in an encounter with the
underground members. But later the youth
was identified as one Thienkholun alias
James, a resident of Suongkot village in
Henglep sub-division located under
Churachandpur police station, who had
allegedly been picked up by Army troops
on 21 December 2004 at around 5 pm along
with three others- Khaikholien, Muomon
and his helper Satthong. Except James, the
others were released on the same night at
three different places after being subjected
to brutal beating. The deceased had two
bullet wounds on the chest. 47 There were
reports that the army forced Kuki leaders of
Tuilaphai village areas to sign on a paper
that confirmed the deceased was involved
in a bomb blast near the village. However,
following meetings between the senior
officers of the Assam Rifles and the Kuki
leaders, the security forces reportedly paid a
fine of Rs.14,300 on 27 December 2004 as
per tribal custom, accepting the fault of
having killed the innocent civilian. 48
On 29 December 2004, Konjengbam
Bimol of Moirang Panshang Leikai was
killed by the Imphal East police
commandos in an alleged encounter at
Napet Palli in Imphal East district. Police
report said that three motor cycle borne
youth coming to the direction of the police
frisking area were signaled to halt but
instead they fired shot at the police team. In
the retaliatory action one youth was killed
while the other two managed to escape. 49
However, family members of the deceased
alleged that K. Bimol was innocent and was
shot dead in a fake encounter after being
pulled off a passenger bus by the police
while coming back from his sister-in-law’s
house at Nongren on the morning of 29
December 2004. The deceased had
reportedly gone to his sister-in-law’s house
about a month back to participate in the
Christmas celebrations. The family refuted
that the deceased had connections with
underground group and refused to claim the
body from the Regional Institute of Medical
Sciences’ morgue. 50 Ng Mecha Devi,
President of Nongren Meira Paibi, who
happened to be at the place when the youth
was taken away by the police, said, “The
story of the police is utter nonsense.
Everybody saw the youth being dragged
down from a Nongdam-Imphal passenger
bus at about 10 am at Nongren Chingmai.” 51
ii. Arbitrary arrest, detention, torture
and indiscriminate firing
The arbitrary arrest and detention of
activists of community and civil liberties
159