KSO calls bandh
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 29 2014 :
In protest against the alleged AR's brutality over Aishi villagers and its total disregard to the demands of the KSO, the KSO Ukhrul district has resolved to impose a 24-hour bandh along Imphal-Ukhrul road with effect from midnight of November 30 .
"The KSO vehemently condemned the incident in which villagers were summoned to the AR battalion headquarters at Chassad and subjected to unimaginable torture for not reporting movement of Meitei UG cadres in the area," a statement issued by Ngamkhanlal Baite, general secretary of KSO Ukhrul said.
"The KSO considers this as complete violation of human rights and also calls all human rights agencies to take up the issue at the highest level of justice," it stated.
The AR's high-handed-ness over poor, innocent Kuki villagers in remote areas has become a habit of sort.
The AR's conduct at Sehlon village some years back is still afresh in the minds of villagers.
Some months ago the AR by taking the law into its own hands had banished two families of Old Samtal to Myanmar, it pointed out.
Just recently the AR came down hard on the villagers of Tengnoupal in the aftermath of a bomb blast which a particular UG group had claimed hands, it said.
The Aishi incident where villagers were thrashed black and blue is the latest of the many incidents of AR's total disregard to human rights, it asserted.
The claim of AR as 'the friend of the hill people' no longer has any meaning to the hill people, because it is the hill people who have continuously suffered physical and mental assault in the hands of AR, the KSO said.
By setting up check points along roads and highways in the hills the AR have intermittently harassed the people.
It is a common sight that there are two to three checkpoints along a single road in the hills.
These checkpoints have become places of harassment and assault.
The KSO has resolved not to compromise this Aishi incident and has resolved to fight to the end for justice.
If the AR does not comply with the demands of the KSO it will intensify the agitation, it cautioned.