Rape committed as instrument of war ?
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 08 2013 : Human Rights Alert (HRA) Director Babloo Loitongbam has raised a strong suspicion whether the Indian military forces have been committing rape in the North Eastern States and Jammu and Kashmir as an instrument of war.

Babloo was speaking at a panel discussion programme organised by the Women Action for Development (WAD) in association with other women groups at Classic Hotel today as a part of the International Fortnight Observation Protesting Violence Against Women which started since November 25 .

While the Indian laws are unable to protect women, the Government of India has been discriminating women of North East region and Jammu and Kashmir.

It is highly questionable if the Indian military forces have been committing rape as an instrument of war in the North East region and J&K where AFSPA is enforced.

Resource persons seated at the discussion

In the aftermath of the Delhi gang rape case of December 16, the Justice JS Verma Commission submitted some recommendations to the Government which categorically stated that no form of sexual offence should be allowed to be committed under AFSPA.

But the Government of India never gave a thought to the same recommendation.

This implies that GoI guarantees impunity to its military personnel when they commit sexual offences in places where AFSPA is in force, Babloo asserted.

Prof S Lokendro, Head of Philosophy Department, Manipur University said that crime and violence against women is a political problem, a political operation and overt form of domination.

Violence against women cannot be interpreted as men antagonising women.

To resolve the issue of violence against women, the politics of domination and oppression should be neutralised, said Prof Lokendro.

DIG (Range-IV) Dr S Ibocha, quoting the record of National Crime Bureau, said that Manipur witnessed 304 cases of crime against women in 2012.Out of these, 63 were rape, 133 kidnapping, 61 domestic violence and 49 were assault.

Out of the 63 rape cases, 18 were committed by neighbours while in 40 cases, the accused were friends or acquaintances of the victims.

In any case of rape, police cannot summon the victim to police station.

The concerned IO should go and take statement at places convenient to the victim, said Dr Ibocha.

The Khaki uniforms worn by Manipur Police are abhorred by the public.

But police is not a force but an agent of service, he asserted.

Dr Ksh Manglem said that collection of evidence encountered many problems when a crime was committed because of lack of coordination between police, medical officers and forensic experts.

This either denies or delay delivery of justice.

Human Rights Law Network director Advocate Rakesh Meihoubam, quoting a Supreme Court ruling, said that one can monitor how police is investigation after a crime has been committed.