New Delhi: A Newly formed human rights organization from Assam alleged here Tuesday that the armed forces engaged in ‘Operation Rhino had committed several excesses in order to instill fear in the j minds of the common people of the trouble-tom state.
The organization, called “Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti”, has compiled a detailed list of alleged Army atrocities and sought an independent investigation into the cases cited in the report. It has claimed that a positive but wrong picture of the army was being presented by the Center.
Briefing newspersons, Nilay Dutta, a leading advocate in the Guwahati high court, said incidents of torture and rape had been reported from areas where the army had allowed the investigation teams of the organization to go.
There were several remote areas where such permission had not been granted.
He said the residence of the chairman of the bar council, P.C Barua, had been raided recently by Army personnel had been acting on their own and not in aid of the civil administration as stipulated. Citing previous judgment of the Guwahati High Court, he stated that the Army authorities had no right to interrogate any civilian.
The fundamental economic and political problems that had given rise to the ULFA phenomenon had to be tackled first, Dutta said, adding the problem could not tackled by state terrorism.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 20, 1991
