Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 30 2010:
The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappea-rances (WGEID) has taken up the reported arrest Rajkumar Meghen alias Sanayaima Chairman of the banned UNLF from Dhaka last month.
This followed a petition filed by RK Ongbi Ibem-nungshi, wife of the separatist leader, before the international forum even as hordes of civil bodies continue to insist upon the authorities concerned to spell out the exact whereabouts of Sanavaima.
With this, she has so far filed four petitions before different international and National fora, the latest being the Gauhati High Court where a Habeas Corpus was filed.
The UNLF, which is fighting to restore Manipur's past sovereignty, had stated that its Chairman was arrested by a combined team of Indian intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and its Bangladeshi counterparts, from Dhaka on September 29 and that he was later flown to New Delhi.
However Delhi has denied that Meghen is in their custody and Dhaka has kept its mouth sealed since then.
No official reports, whether a denial or a confirmation, have been forth- coming from either countries.
Having received and acknowledged her complaint, the WGEID intimated the petitioner to fill up a form and send it for taking up necessay procedures, said Rajkumar Chinglen, son of Meghen and added " We want justice to be delivered" .
A few days back Sanayai-ma's wife had filed a Habeas Corpus petition with the Imphal bench of the Gauhati High Court with a prayer to issue a directive to the Government respondents Secretary, MHA, Special Secretary, MEA and the State -to produce her husband from his confinement at the earliest and to try him in accordance with the existing laws of the land for the time being in force.
A resident of Yaiskul Janmasthan in the heart of Imphal, Ibemnungshi (64) had already filed complaints with the Union Home Secretary
GK Pillai.
National Human Rights Commission and even the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights , Geneva, seeking her husband's whereabouts.
During his recent visit to Manipur, Pillai had said that Delhi has not received any official report on it and that he came to know about it through media reports.
According to WDEID procedures, reported cases of disappearances are placed before the Working Group for detailed examination during its sessions on normal appeals.
Those which fulfil the requirements are intimated to the Group's specific authorization, to the Governments concerned with the request that they carry out investigations and inform the Group about the results.
These cases are communicated by letter from the Group's Chairman to the Government concerned through the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
On general appeals, the Working Group regularly intinmates to the Governments concerned a summary of allegations received from relatives of missing persons and non-governmental organizations with regard to obstacles encountered in the implementation of the Declaration in their respective countries, inviting them to comment thereon if they so wish.
Pertaining to urgent appeals, the WDEID said "Cases that occurred within the three months preceding receipt of the report by the Group are transmitted directly to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the country concerned by the most direct and rapid means" .
The Working Group provides the source with a copy of the summary of each urgent action, thus helping it to establish communication with the authorities on the case concerned.