CALCUTTA,: The repeated request by Amnesty International to the Union Home Minister, Mr. Buta Singh, for permission to send an observer to Imphal has elicited no response so far.

Since August 1988, Amnesty International has been seeking permission from the Indian Government. A request by telex was sent to Mr, Singh on August 16 last year followed by another request on November 17. On January 23 this year the organization repeated its request to the union minister.

According to the organization in November last the Manipur press quoted the State Government as having said that an Amnesty International observer could attend the hearings taking place before the sessions judge for Imphal about the incidents at Oiman in July and August 1987 where members of the Assam Rifles were allegedly involved. However the body received no such permission and has once again repeated its Tequest to the Government.

In an. urgent appeal to Buta Singh with copies to the Prime Minister the Manipur Government and’ the Minister for External Affairs, Amnesty International has expressed concern at reports of “intimidation by members of the Assam Rifles of witnesses and a lawyer involved in the hearing taking place before the sessions judge in Imphal, Manipur about alleged abuses committed by members of Assam Rifles in mid-1987.”

14 Innocent Men Killed

The organization has urged the Government to immediately order an investigation into these allegations and to take all necessary Measures to protect the witnesses and their relatives and also to allow an international observer to attend the hearings. Accordingly to the Amnesty Report in July 1987, at least 14 people were killed in Oinam village, Senapati district, Manipur, allegedly by members of the Assam Rifles” in reprisal for an attack carried out by members of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland on an Assam. Rifles outpost in Oinam village killing nine soldiers and taking away others. The report said though the Army had said that the villagers were killed in armed clashes with soldiers during a counter insurgency operation, the Manipur Government had accepted allegations by local civil liberties groups that the 14 had been unarmed and were deliberately killed.

Probe urged

Since then, the report said, about 300 people were apparently detained on suspicion of assisting the rebels and many of them had given statements that they were “tortured by being beaten and given electric shocks by members of the Assam Rifles. Some claim that relatives were tortured to death.”

Torture and Rape

Following petitions by local civil liberty organizations the Gauhati High Court had on July 11, 1988 ordered that all villagers be released and that compensation paid to all those who had been detained by the Assam Rifles for five or more days and to the relatives of those who had been tortured to death. The court, the report said had also directed the sessions judge for Impal to record further evidence of “killing, torture, rape and sexual harassment, illegal detention and other alleged human rights violations committed by members of Assam Rifles in mid1987.”

Expressing fear that the witnesses may be subjected to further intimidation, including possible arrest and torture the report has cited the sworn statement of Stephen, a 28 year old school teacher from Ngamiju village, Senapati district. In the statement Stephen said he was arrested by members of the Assam Rifles on December 19, 1988 at 7 am and taken to their headquarters at Lairoching where he was blindfolded and given electric shocks on his chin, shoulders and other parts of his body while being asked why he had taken his sister and other alleged victims of Tape to testify in the court.

Witnesses Threatened

Stephen claimed that he was threatened by the commanding officer with Longterm imprisonment and losing his job if he failed to cooperate and was also told that others failing to do so would be similarly treated. According to the statement, the doctor who examined Stephen on December 21 in Lairouching camp refused to take note of his complaint that he had been tortured and that members of the Assam Rifles had made his sign statements the contents of which he was not allowed to read. The report said Stephen now complained of blurred vision and inability to sleep.

Two other witnesses as per the Amnesty Report were also said to have been arrested shortly after they had given evidence in court, N. Sekho who said he witnessed the torture of 12 people by members of the Assam Rifles near Oinam in July and August 1987 and saw some of the bodies shortly, afterwards, was arrested on November 3 and released on bail the next day. Since then his family had reportedly received threats, that he would be killed.

Pastor Arrested Church Searched

A 30 year old pastor, Peter was also arrested on December 17 as he had given evidence to the court. According to the Amnesty report, he told the court that the Assam Rifles took him to a camp near Mantripukhri from where he was released the following day. “Although the Assam Rifles first denied his arrest and the existence of the camp where he said he was taken, they later acknowledged that he had been arrested in connection with the forthcoming visit of the President.”

Lawyer harassed

According to Amnesty International the lawyer appearing for the alleged victims and their relatives had also repeatedly complained of intimidation. On January 24 members of the Assam Rifles reportedly entered the working women’s hostel of the Manipur Baptist church and searched her room between 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm apparently without a warrant and took away some documents.

Electric Shocks

The report said that two members of a local civil liberties organization, who said they had gone to the villages around Oinam to inform the people that the judicial register would be recording evidence in Imphal were reportedly arrested in May 1988. “Several villagers have said that they were forcibly taken before the Imphal and Senapati magistrates in September and November 1987 and made to prepare statements the contents of which they later learnt absolved the Assam Rifles from responsibilities for abuse.”

Amnesty International claimed that the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Tamenglong district, who was according testimonies by a number of women of attempted rape, was of the Assam Rifles at Ommenglog. The magistrate alleged that he was given electric shocks on his testicles. He was handed over to the police on May 9 and charged under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act 1987. However, the report said the court released him on bail and the Guhati Court was presently investigating his arrest and alleged ill-treatment.

‘Democracy in India is only a topdressing on an Indian soil, which is essentially undemocratic”’

Dr, B.R. Ambedkar (who framed the Indian Constition)

Article extracted from this publication >>  March 3, 1989