NHRC takes up 'fake encounter' proceedings in 46 cases
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 24 2013:
The National Human Rights Commission team currently stationed at Imphal has initiated due proceedings of 46 unjustified killings including fake encounters which happened in Manipur during the past few years.
The NHRC team led by Chairperson KG Balakrish-nan conducted the procee- dings on two division ben-ches at Classic Hotel today.
The first bench comprised of Chairperson KG Balakrishnan and Member Satyabrata Pal while the second bench was formed by Members Cyriac Joseph and SC Sinha before victims families of 22 cases gave their statements.
To a query raised by the division benches, the victim families said that police took their statements but they were not informed that the same exercise was meant for Magisterial enquiries.
Asking if any Magisterial enquiry was conducted into any of the 22 cases, the NHRC team demanded the officials of the State Home Department who were present at the proceeding to produce documents collected in the course of any Magisterial enquiry, if there was any.
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They further questioned the Home Department officials about the unusually slow pace of investigation and failure to respond to the show cause notices sent by the Commission with regard to some selected cases listed among the 22 cases for which proceedings were initiated today.
With regard to a particular case which police claimed to be an encounter case and where a single M-20 pistol was recovered but no empty case was found, the NHRC asked as to why the M-20 pistol was given away to some people even after knowing that the same pistol is the only evidence an ecological disaster if the phumdi clearance project was not taken up.
He further informed the NHRC team that only one company bid for the project.
On the other hand, representatives of the Loktak Lake Area Fishermen Union urged the NHRC team to make necessary recommendations so that the Loktak Protection Act is repealed.
The Act is a direct challenge to the fundamental rights of fishing families and the phumdi clearance project has brought about little benefit, they asserted.
However, Project Director Th Ibobi clarified that the Loktak Protection Act do not prohibit fishing in Loktak lake.
He went on to claim that the phumdi clearance project was given positive remarks/report after it was monitored by a third party.