Imphal, Jul 24, 2024, IANS

Imphal, July 24 (IANS) Women tribal organisations in Manipur on Wednesday organised a protest rally and submitted a memorandum to Home Minister Amit Shah through the Deputy Commissioner of the state's Churachandpur district demanding a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team-led probe into the "extra judicial action of Assam Police against three Hmar tribal youths". Assam Police recently claimed that at least 'three suspected militants', belonging to Assam and Manipur, were killed while three police personnel were injured during an encounter in Cachar district on July 17. Many tribal organisations in Manipur have also been separately condemning the "brutal custodial deaths" of Lallungawi Hmar (21), Lalbiekkung Hmar (33), both residents of southern Assam, and K. Joshua Lalrinsang (35), a resident of Manipur's Pherzawl district "by Assam Police". Hmar Women Association President Rebecca Hmar and Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights President Ngaineikim Haokip in their jointly signed memorandum to the Home Minister, demanded an impartial investigation. The memorandum, sent to the Home Minister through the Deputy Commissioner, Churachandpur district, said that the three individuals succumbed to death while they were under the custody of police as a result of their arrest and at a place outside the police station, with a purported video showing the three detainees blindfolded, hands tied and forced to kneel down, surrounded by "aggressive" police personnel. However, contradictory to the video clip, the Assam Police claimed that they died during a cross-fire exchange between militants and the police. "Presenting the detainees before the Magistrate should have been the priority, and protection of the suspects under their arrest is their duty," the memorandum said. It is "therefore, justified to conclude that the three detainees lost their lives due to extra-judicial killings by the Assam Police, organising a fake encounter", the memorandum added. Several other tribal organisations in Manipur, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), the apex body of the Kuki-Zo tribals, Hmar Inpui, the apex body of the Hmar tribe, and the Hmar Students' Association, among others, have also separately condemned the "brutal custodial deaths of three Hmar tribal youths". The tribal bodies demanded an impartial probe into the incident besides urging the National Human Rights Commission to take suo motu cognizance of the deaths. Cachar's Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta had said on July 17 that the three 'militants', belonging to Hmar extremist outfit, were part of a larger group, which was reportedly planning to carry out "subversive activities" along the Assam-Manipur border areas. The police officer had said that acting on a tip-off, a police team was rushed to the Krishnapur road area which arrested the three "militants" along with sophisticated weapons while they were going towards the Bhuban Hills in an autorickshaw. An AK-47 rifle, a single-barrel rifle, and a pistol along with live ammunition were recovered from the trio, Mahatta told the media on Wednesday. He also said that during questioning, the "militants" disclosed that some of their cadres were hiding in a nearby forest in Bhuban Hills, planning to undertake subversive activities along the Assam-Manipur border. Subsequently, a special operation was launched along with the commandos on the Bhuban Hills side to apprehend the hiding militants based on the inputs provided by the three arrested extremists, who were also taken along, the officer said. "When the security forces reached the hills, 6-7 extremists opened fire at them. The security personnel retaliated, leading to a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides," Mahatta had said.