AR charged with harassing villagers
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 22 2015:
Assam Rifles allegedly tortured and harassed innocent villagers in aftermath of the January 14 Machi Lamkhai incident where cadres of the proscribed PLA launched an attack on the security personnel.
A press statement issued by Secretary, Information and Publicity of Kuki Student's Organization ( KSO) Chandel said that a joint team of Kuki Chiefs Association (KCA), Machi & Tengnoupal Block along with KSO Chandel District visited the villages located nearby the incident on Wednesday following report of harassing innocent villagers by the Assam Rifles.
Among the villages visited, Semang villagers bore the brunt of harassment and they were kept in detention by the security personnel day and night.
On 17th January, the Commanding Officer of 20 Assam Rifles along with his jawans came to the village and accused the village chief and other villagers of helping the militants who carried out the attack and searched every household in the village, said the statement.
The Commanding Officer threatened the village chief to produce the persons involved in helping the militants despite the chief maintaining that his villagers are innocent.
The Commanding Officer also took the Village Authority Chairman and Secretary into their custody the whole day and did not even allow them to attend to the call of nature, the students' body alleged.
The KSO statement further accused the CO and his jawans of forcibly taking the photograph of a villager along with an IV drip set which was used by a weak and aged woman of the village.
While condemning the Assam rifles for their excesses and creating fear psychosis among the villagers, the statement appealed to the Assam Rifles not to continue with such act against the innocent villagers.
Denouncing the militant group for the attack, the students' body has also appealed to all armed groups not to indulge in such activities in Kuki area as the people of the area want peace not unrest.