Joy suggests independent team
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 17 2015 : As CBI enquiry would not be able to remove public suspicion regarding the discovery of eight human skulls and a number of skeletal remains from the erstwhile Tombisana High School campus, the State Government should constitute a high-level, independent team to investigate the discovery, said veteran politician O Joy.

Speaking to some media persons today, O Joy gave a list of 20 persons who have disappeared without any trace after they were picked up by security forces since AFSPA was imposed all over the State in September 1980 .

In addition to those 20 persons, two other persons disappeared involuntarily lately.

Moreover, there might be many more cases of involuntary disappearances which went unreported.

Joy remarked people's suspicion that the discovered skulls and skeletal remains might be of those people who disappeared involuntarily has its own logic.

At one point of time, Tombisana High School campus was occupied by security forces who were mainly engaged in counter insurgency operations.

Moreover, City Police Station is located quite close to the Tombisana High School campus.

As such, people have all the reasons to suspect that the discovered skulls and skeletal remains were of those people who disappeared involuntarily.

Investigation by CBI can establish certain facts about the startling discovery but there is no guarantee that people's suspicion can be put to rest altogether.

In connection with the involuntary disappearance -of Loken/Lokendro after he was pulled up by JK Rifles on September 23, 1980, a petition was filed at Gauhati High Court but it could elicit the desired result.

Then the matter was taken to the Supreme Court which issued a directive for instituting an enquiry.

At the end of the enquiry, responsibility (for the disappearance of Lokendro) was fixed upon JK Rifles, Joy said.

One Chandam Chaoba of Pukhao was subjected to third degree torture after he was arrested by a CRPF team led by a Deputy Commandant then posted at Mantripukhri, a man wrote in a letter on the condition of anonymity.

As CRPF tried to hand over Chaoba to the army authority, the latter refused to accept the badly wounded man.

Chaoba died when he was kicked out from a CRPF vehicle.

His body was cremated at Mantripukhri; said the veteran politician.

One retired UG cadre who was in advanced age was pulled up by Assam Rifles and detained at Kangla.

As he was not released for a prolonged period, the family went to Court and the Court directed Assam Rifles to produce the arrested man.

But the Court's order was not complied with by Assam Rifles.

The man was released only at the intervention of the then Governor.

In the light of all these precedents, the discovered skulls and skeletal remains can turn out to be an undeniable proof of what the security forces did in secret behind the shadow of AFSPA, Joy said.

The State Government as well as the Government of India must pay extra attention to all forms of human rights violation, particularly violation of the right to life, he added.

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