Report of Upendra Judicial Commission of Inquiry into incident of June 18, 2001

Kwakeithel, 18th June, 2021

Report of Upendra Judicial Commission of Inquiry into incident of June 18, 2001 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

We are happy to present today the Report of Upendra Judicial Commission of Inquiry appointed by the Government of Manipur to inquire into the incident of June 18, 2001 to the public at large.

On this day, 20 years ago, the Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) shot down defiant protestors defending the idea of Manipur in the heart ol Imphal city, killing fourteen and injuring more than eight hundred. The spontaneous outburst of the people could not be detened by the brute repression. The stubbom protest persisted, losing ibur more lives, until the Govemment of India finally conceded to their demand. on 27 July 2001, and dropped the phrase "without territorial limits" from its ceasefire agreement with the NSCN(lM).

In order to establish the truth behind the incident, Govemment of Manipur (GoM) constituted a Judicial Commission presided by (tate) Shri. C. Upendra Singh, District and Session Judge (Retired), vide its notification dated 14 July 2001. Afler a thorough, open and judicious process. the report was finally submitted to GoM in January 2002.

But it was never placed before the cabinet or the State Assembly as required by the law. Even attempts by curious citizens to obtain a copy of the report through RTI applications were summarily rejected. More than a decade later. in the course of the proceeding of the Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) and Iluman Rights Alert (HRA) PIL, WP (Cril) 129 of 2012, seeking justice in the 1528 extrajudicial executions, the Supreme Court directed GoM to submit all the relevant Commission of Inquiry reports. This report was one amongst half a dozen others, so submitted.

Report of Upendra Judicial Commission of Inquiry into incident of June 18, 2001 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

The court handed over a copy ofthe reports to the petitioners. We were delighted to finally see that the Commission categorically concluded: "... it is found that the actions of the security forces was made without any justifiable cause or it had exceeded the reasonable limits, the appropriate action should be taken up against the wrong doers and such persons should not be scot free". lPara 21 at page no. 98 of the Report)

We were also happy that the Supreme Court ordered, vide order dated 14.07.2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate this incident along with 38 others. Accordingly, CBI registered a case of murder against some personnel of 8l and 121 Battalion of CRPF and proceeded with the investigation. But when the CBI submitted its Final Report (FR), dated I 3.08.2020, we were deeply disappointed to see their conclusion:
llPage
"...sufficient admissible evidence has not come on record during investigation to launch prosecution against the alleged security personnel of CRPF..."

We were utterly shocked to find out irom the FR that the CBI could not obtain the relevant documents in connection with the incident f'rom GoM. As a matter of fact, the entire casedocket pertaining to this incident is stated to be missing from both the police as well as court records.

Outraged by the callous attitude of the concemed olficials and being suspicious if this is a deliberate attempt to conceal the critical documents by some unscrupulous elements within the government functionaries, the families of the 14 victims of lhe ,lune 18 Incident petitioned the Home Department of GoM on 18 December 2020 urging to take action to recover the documents and also to take action against the erring officials.

On such a grave matter of public importance, the govemment is simply tuming a blinds eye without even acknowledging it as an issue. This is simply bizane, especially because many of the top politicians hotding key position in the present regime were one time civil society leaders at the fbrefront of the people's movement to preserve integrity of Manipur who catapulted themselves to politics!

Report of Upendra Judicial Commission of Inquiry into incident of June 18, 2001 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

Anxious by the present perplexing state-ofl-affairs ofthe oflcial institutions and driven by the compelling need to preserve the remaining pieces of evidence of this historic event, EEVFAM and HRA are reprinting the Report of Upendra Judicial Commission of Inquiry.

By disseminating this report far and wide, we are making a humble attempt to resist the diabolic attempt, if there is any. to distort the truth of this great people's uprising.

See a full photo gallery of this Report release function

(Edina Yaikhom)
Secretary
Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association, Manipur

(Babloo Loitongbam)
Executive Director
Human Rights Alert