INDIA: A senior journalist is brutally attacked by the Indian Reserve Battalion in Manipur
ISSUES: Attack on journalist; torture; freedom of press; freedom of movement; right to Life; impunity
Date : 14 February 2014
Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information
regarding a brutal attack causing grievous injury and bodily harm to a
senior journalist, Mr. Aribam Chaoba Sharma of the Imphal Free Press.
It is reported that the Commander of a team of officers from the
Indian Reserve Battalion are responsible for the assault.
CASE NARRATIVES:
According to information received by the AHRC the brutal assault took
place at around 11:30pm on 10 February at Northern Gate of the Kangla
Fort, perpetrated by a group of officers from the Indian Reserve
Battalion. The leader of the group and the perpetrator of violence is
a Havildar, who has been called by the acronym M.M. and the group is
codenamed 'Whiskey 8'.
Sharma, is a senior reporter with the Imphal Free Press. On 10
February Sharma was returning home from work on his motorcycle. The
offices of the Imphal Free Press is located near Imphal East and on
the return journey at around 11.30 p.m. when Sharma was passing the
north side of the bridge near Kangla Fort, the officers flashing
torchlight beckoned him to stop.
The assault had started with the officers asking Sharma for his
identification documents, which he had produced, after which they had
questioned him as to where he was from and where he was travelling to,
for which Sharma had politely and truthfully replied to.
He had specifically replied to the officers that he is a journalist
for the Imphal Free Press and that he had been working in this
profession for almost a decade and that he was returning home after
work.
In this instance another officer had appeared and ordered that Sharma
lie down on the ground on the street and this he had refused. The
officer whose was later revealed as a Havildar, then ordered Sharma to
produce his identification document again. The officer looked at the
document and threw it on the ground threatening Sharma in an abusive
manner by saying “so you think just because you are a media person,
that you can do anything you please?” Sharma replied that he was
just travelling home and he had done nothing wrong, and therefore
asked why he should be made to lie down on the street.
The Hawildar then threatened Sharma stating that he is a relative of
the Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Abdul Naser and demanded
that Sharma lie down on the street and even threatened to shoot Sharma
if he refused.
Sharma, had then, although in shock, and in fear of being tortured,
or harmed bodily, replied to the Havildar that, he is a civilian and
he is entitled to his rights and since he had done nothing wrong there
was no reason to be treated as he was. This retort by Sharma was
according to him not taken so well by Havildar who had been enraged
and had then threatened to shoot Sharma.
Immediately after the Havildar launched his brutal attack on Sharma,
first grabbing him by his collar, and tried to pushing him down onto
the street, virtually manhandling him onto the ground in full view of
three other security personnel who did nothing nor responded to the
brutal assault. The Havildar then continued to beat Sharma, and
started beating him with full force over the head, Sharma's forehead
and face with the radio set, until blood started to gush out of his
injuries on his forehead.
Sharma pleaded with the officers to give him some first-aid or to
take him to the medical clinic, which was nearby. The officers made no
attempt to do so and left Sharma lying there on the street, in the
dark and continued to threaten him, saying they will kill him if he
reports this incident to the police, the media or to the Trade Unions.
Sharma recalls later that one officer had thrown a band-aid (medicated
plaster) on over his wounds, which did nothing to stop the bleeding.
Sharma remembers after a long period of time sitting there, bleeding
from his wounds after the assault, the Imphal police arriving at the
scene. He had no recollection of how the 'Whiskey 8' officers had
called the Imphal police in the aftermath, and he recalls that the
officers informed the police that they had caught a petty thief.
Imphal police seeing that Sharma's wounds were serious and that it was
still bleeding took him to the hospital where Sharma received
treatment and around 4 stitches to his open gash on the forehead.
Sharma revealed to the AHRC that the Imphal police too had identified
the perpetrator as a Havildar and that he is called by his initials
M.M. However, the Imphal police have refused to divulge any further
information about the perpetrator to Sharma.
AHRC learnt that the group of officers belonging to the IRB had been
posted near the Kangla checkpoint, which is a historical area in
Manipur. Sharma also revealed to the AHRC that this group of officers
have been referred to by the nickname 'Whiskey 8' perhaps due to being
intoxicated on duty, and that the leader of the group, the Havildar,
had been suspended from active duty several times for misconduct.
The AHRC was informed that this brutal and arbitrary attack on a
senior journalist whilst being heavily condemned by the All Manipur
Working Journalists Union journalist, the Union will also be taking
legal action against the perpetrators for gross violation of human
rights in carrying out this unwarranted and brutal attack which is
seen as a threat to free media in Manipur. Sharma has also lodged a
formal complaint against the Havildar with the Imphal Police.
AHRC also learnt that officers of the IRB, police officers and
paramilitary police have, on many other occasions, deliberately and
without any reason attacked journalists in the area. Manipur is an
area where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, is implemented
and this incident is yet another proof of its misused.
Speaking to reporters, the President of the All Manipur Working
Journalists' Union, Mr. Wangkhemcha Shyamjai said that the matter is a
serious threat to the media. The AHRC also supports the Union’s
initiative to pursue legal action to bring the perpetrators to justice
and commends the efforts by the AMWJU to communicate this brutal
attack, on a senior journalist to the Press Council of India (PCI),
Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU), International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) and North East India Federation of Journalists
(NEIFJ) in order to bring to light the impunity with which security
personnel abuse powers vested in them to deprive basic fundamental
rights of people in Manipur, powers which in contrast should rightly
be used to protect the rights of all citizens in Manipur.
Kindly write to the authorities quoted below expressing your concern
in this case, demanding and that the perpetrators of this brutal
assault on a senior member of the press in Manipur are brought to
justice and that the victim is accorded with just compensation.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the concerned authorities listed below
expressing your concern about this case.
The AHRC is also writing a separate letter to the UN Special
Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of
opinion and expression calling for an intervention in this case.
To support this appeal, please click here:
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear ................,
INDIA: Drunken soldiers brutally assault a journalist in Manipur
Name of the victim: Mr Aribam Dhanajoy alias Chaoba, aged 40 years,
S/0 Aribam, Priyogopal, resident of Thangmeiband Lourung Purel Leikai
Imphal West District, Manipur
Alleged Perpetrators: Personnel from the 1st Indian Reserve Battalion
Date of incident: 10 February 2014
Place of incident: Northern gate of Kangla Fort, Imphal, Manipur
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you to express
concern about the assault and injuring of a senior journalist, by
officers from 1st Indian Reserve Battalion, stationed in Imphal,
Manipur state. It is reported that the attack upon the journalist was
without provocation and that the officers are notorious for being
under the influence of alcohol whilst on duty. The Hawildar in command
of the officers involved in this incident has been in the past
suspended from active duty due to drinking while on duty.
According to information received by the AHRC the brutal assault took
place at around 11:30pm on 10 February at Northern Gate of the Kangla
Fort, perpetrated by a group of officers from the Indian Reserve
Battalion. The leader of the group and the perpetrator of violence is
a Havildar, who has been called by the acronym M.M. and the group is
codenamed 'Whiskey 8'.
Sharma, is a senior reporter with the Imphal Free Press. On 10
February Sharma was returning home from work on his motorcycle. The
offices of the Imphal Free Press is located near Imphal East and on
the return journey at around 11.30 p.m. when Sharma was passing the
north side of the bridge near Kangla Fort, the officers flashing
torchlight beckoned him to stop.
The assault had started with the officers asking Sharma for his
identification documents, which he had produced, after which they had
questioned him as to where he was from and where he was travelling to,
for which Sharma had politely and truthfully replied to.
He had specifically replied to the officers that he is a journalist
for the Imphal Free Press and that he had been working in this
profession for almost a decade and that he was returning home after
work.
In this instance another officer had appeared and ordered that Sharma
lie down on the ground on the street and this he had refused. The
officer whose was later revealed as a Havildar, then ordered Sharma to
produce his identification document again. The officer looked at the
document and threw it on the ground threatening Sharma in an abusive
manner by saying “so you think just because you are a media person,
that you can do anything you please?” Sharma replied that he was
just travelling home and he had done nothing wrong, and therefore
asked why he should be made to lie down on the street.
The Hawildar then threatened Sharma stating that he is a relative of
the Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Abdul Naser and demanded
that Sharma lie down on the street and even threatened to shoot Sharma
if he refused.
Sharma, had then, although in shock, and in fear of being tortured,
or harmed bodily, replied to the Havildar that, he is a civilian and
he is entitled to his rights and since he had done nothing wrong there
was no reason to be treated as he was. This retort by Sharma was
according to him not taken so well by Havildar who had been enraged
and had then threatened to shoot Sharma.
Immediately after the Havildar launched his brutal attack on Sharma,
first grabbing him by his collar, and tried to pushing him down onto
the street, virtually manhandling him onto the ground in full view of
three other security personnel who did nothing nor responded to the
brutal assault. The Havildar then continued to beat Sharma, and
started beating him with full force over the head, Sharma's forehead
and face with the radio set, until blood started to gush out of his
injuries on his forehead.
Sharma pleaded with the officers to give him some first-aid or to
take him to the medical clinic which was nearby. The officers made no
attempt to do so and left Sharma lying there on the street, in the
dark and continued to threaten him, saying they will kill him if he
reports this incident to the police, the media or to the Trade Unions.
Sharma recalls later that one officer had thrown a band-aid
(mediacated plaster) on over his wounds, which did nothing to stop the
bleeding.
Sharma remembers after a long period of time sitting there, bleeding
from his wounds after the assault, the Imphal police arriving at the
scene. He had no recollection of how the 'Whiskey 8' officers had
called the Imphal police in the aftermath, and he recalls that the
officers informed the police that they had caught a petty thief.
Imphal police seeing that Sharma's wounds were serious and that it was
still bleeding took him to the hospital where Sharma received
treatment and around 4 stitches to his open gash on the forehead.
Sharma revealed to the AHRC that the Imphal police too had identified
the perpetrator as a Havildar and that he is called by his initials
M.M. However, the Imphal police have refused to divulge any further
information about the perpetrator to Sharma.
AHRC learnt that the group of officers belonging to the IRB had been
posted near the Kangla checkpoint, which is a historical area in
Manipur. Sharma also revealed to the AHRC that this group of officers
have been referred to by the nickname 'Whiskey 8' perhaps due to being
intoxicated on duty, and that the leader of the group, the Havildar,
had been suspended from active duty several times for misconduct.
The AHRC was informed that this brutal and arbitrary attack on a
senior journalist whilst being heavily condemned by the All Manipur
Working Journalists Union journalist, the Union will also be taking
legal action against the perpetrators for gross violation of human
rights in carrying out this unwarranted and brutal attack which is
seen as a threat to free media in Manipur. Sharma has also lodged a
formal complaint against the Havildar with the Imphal Police.
AHRC also learnt that officers of the IRB, police officers and
paramilitary police have, on many other occasions, deliberately and
without any reason attacked journalists in the area. Manipur is an
area where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, is implemented
and this incident is yet another proof of its misused.
Speaking to reporters, the President of the All Manipur Working
Journalists' Union, Mr. Wangkhemcha Shyamjai said that the matter is a
serious threat to the media. The AHRC also supports the Union’s
initiative to pursue legal action to bring the perpetrators to justice
and commends the efforts by the AMWJU to communicate this brutal
attack, on a senior journalist to the Press Council of India (PCI),
Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU), International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) and North East India Federation of Journalists
(NEIFJ) in order to bring to light the impunity with which security
personnel abuse powers vested in them to deprive basic fundamental
rights of people in Manipur, powers which in contrast should rightly
be used to protect the rights of all citizens in Manipur.
I therefore request you to:
1. Undertake an independent investigation in the case;
2. That a judicial magistrate records the statement of the victim;
3. That the Government of Manipur pays all expenses to the victim for
his treatment, which is to be realised by the IRB from the
perpetrator;
4. That the perpetrator officers are immediately suspended from
service;
5. And the officers put to a civilian trial in a criminal court and
not proceeded by regular Court Martial, since the offense alleged
against them is not of such nature that the officers have committed
whilst in discharge of their legitimate duties.
Yours sincerely,
-----------------------------------------------
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Okram Ibobi Singh
Chief Minister of Manipur
New Secretariat Building
Bapupara, Imphal, Manipur
INDIA
Fax + 91 385 2451398
E-mail: [email protected]
2. Director General of Police
PHQ Imphal Manipur
795001 Imphal, Manipur
INDIA
Fax + 91 385 2223829
E-mail: [email protected]
3. Chief Secretary, Manipur
Old Secretariat Building
Bapupara, Imphal, Manipur
INDIA
Fax + 91 385 2222629
E-mail: [email protected]
4. Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission of India
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg
New Delhi-110001
INDIA
Fax: +91 11 23340016
E-mail: [email protected]
* This info was sent to e-pao.net by Asian Human Rights Commission who can be contacted at ua(at)ahrc(dot)asia
This Press Release was posted on February 14, 2014
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