Indian Judiciary permits extra-judicial killing in Kashmir and NE: UNLF
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 01, 2012:
With more and more cases of extra-judicial killings and fake encounters being ignored by India government and its Supreme Court, it has become apparent that the Indian government as well as the Indian Judiciary system permit extra judicial killings by its army in Kashmir and North East India (Western South East Asia), alleged the proscribed revolutionary group United National Liberation Front (UNLF).
In a statement signed by its Senior Publicity Officer, Ksh Yoiheiba, UNLF recalled that Indian Army killed five innocent people of Pathribal village of Kashmir on March 25, 2000 in a fake encounter and alleged them to be militants infiltrated from across the border.
On the other hand, locals protested against the fake encounter and revealed that the victims were innocent civilians who have been picked up by army from their houses some days earlier.
Unfortunately, ten more protestors were killed by the army.
Later in 2006, a team of CBI officials, who investigated into the incident, brought out the truth in their report that the five persons who were killed by Indian army were indeed innocent civilians and they were killed in fake encounter.
The report further stated that Brigadier Ajay Saxena, Lt Colonel Brijinder Pratap Singh, Major Saurabh Sharma, Major Amit Saxena and Subedar Idrees Khan were the prime accused in the case and accordingly recommended that they should be tried in a criminal court for awarding befitting punishment.
However, the report was kept under wrap after Indian Army strongly reacted to the finding.
And after 12 years of the incident, the Supreme Court of India instead of conducting trial, handed over the case to Indian Army for Court Martial of the accused, UNLF pointed out, while observing that it was like 'judging a crime by the criminal himself'.
With the number of such incidents increasing, Amnesty International had remarked that the Judiciary system of India is an unfortunate system.
In like manner, the Indian army has killed many innocent civilians in various fake encounters under the immunity granted under AFSPA in Western South East Asia (NE India) especially in Manipur, UNLF said.
Moreover, the India government and the Judiciary system have been putting a veil over the 12 years old fast of Irom Chanu Sharmila over the demand for repealing AFSPA.
Ever since, Manipur was forcefully merged into Indian Union, the Indian army has been taking many innocent lives whenever they like all in the name of counter insurgency and get clean chit under the colonial Act.
In such situation, a united movement for the freedom of Manipur from the clutch of the India government is the only solution, the people of the state have in their hand, the statement added.