EEVFAM, HRA flay denial of prosecution sanction
Source: Chronicle News Service / Newmai News Network

Imphal, March 13 2023: Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) and Human Rights Alert (HRA) have strongly condemned the "denial" of prosecution sanction of certain security personnel while granting the same in case of some other police personnel involved in the same extrajudicial killing.

In a statement issued on Monday, EEVFAM and HRA said: "On August 29,1998, Major Shaiza and four others were killed at Kwakeithel Akham Leikai, Imphal West district, in broad daylight" .

Following the direction of the Supreme Court of India, CBI/SIT investigated the case and submitted a charge-sheet against the accused police personnel.

Out of the accused personnel, four namely, Khundongbam Inaobi Singh, Thangkhongam Lhungdim, Md Akhtar Hussain and Thokchom Krishnatombi Singh were already granted prosecution sanction by the state government in the same incident, the release informed.

Subsequently, CBI gave an observation that the four accused personnel are hiding and created a false story to screen their team members from the offence committed by them, which is also an offence under section 201 of IPC.

On further investi-gation, CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet against four Manipur personnel of the then Rapid Action Police Force/CDO, Imphal West for the offence punishable under section 302, 307, 201 and 34 of IPC.

They are Nongmaithem Rameshwor Singh (A-6), Baremron Khamjai (A-8), Khundrakpam Ranjeet Singh (A-9) and Leitanthem Sharat Singh (A-10), EEVFAM and HRA conveyed.

"However, the Government of Manipur denied prosecution sanction against the four accused vide letter no 2/8(5)/2018-H(CBI) (EJK) 25 dated 05.12.2022 by Rehanuddin Choudhury, Joint Secretary (Home), Government of Manipur," it maintained.

The release then said that in a democracy where there is rule of law the government is duty bound to en sure that no perpetrators of the crime are left scot-free and they are to be punished as per the law of the land.

"Such acts of the Government of Manipur to deny prosecution sanction to a group of perpetrators of crime while giving prosecution sanction to another group involved in the same incident is downright arbitrary and discriminatory," EEVFAM and HRA stated.

HRA and EEVFAM then "humbly appealed" to the government to grant prosecution sanction to all the accused against whom triable evidence have been found by CBI/SIT so that court can conduct a fair trial to determine if they are acquitted or convicted as per the law.

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