Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 22:
The Manipur Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the State Chief Secretary and DGP asking them to furnish a detailed report on the shooting of eight innocent civilians by State security forces at Wangjing on December 15.The report should include the prayer of the petitioners to grant them interim relief to the injured persons including five teachers, the commission said in its proceedings today.
It is pertinent to note that the State Govt has already placed three IRB personnel and one police commando of Thoubal dist police under suspension in connection with the firing.
The petitioner is M Rakesh, Co-ordinator of Human Rights Law Network (Manipur).
He filed the complaint based on the news report carried on this daily on December 16.Mention may be made here that a combined team of IRB and commandos fired indiscriminately on a passenger jeep injuring all the occupants including five teachers of Royal Academy near YK College, Wangjing on the night of December 15.Two other bystanders were also injured in the firing.
The petition contended that the firing was made without giving any warning by the security personnel who were hiding by the roadside.
Though all the occupants of the jeep shouted that they were innocent civilians after hearing the first gun shots, the security personnel who were about 7/8 metres away from the passenger jeep did not heed to the passengers cry and continued firing, it also contended.
The act of the security personnel amounts to deprivation of rights to free movement which is a part of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Art 21 of the constitution.
Though the petition endorsed the Govt's action suspending the four personnel, it prayed before the rights panel to recommend the Govt for granting immediate interim relief to the injured persons.
It also prayed for prosecuting the personnel involved in the heinous crime for awarding exemplary punishment according to the law.
Having perused the complaint petition, the commission asked the two officials to submit their reports within four weeks.