Post IED blast, Assam Rifles 'evict' two families
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 01 2014: Two families of Old Samtal located close to Myanmar border in Chandel district have been allegedly evicted from the village by Assam Rifles on the charge that the IED blast of August 26 which ripped the village was the handiwork of the two families.

Heads of the two families who have been evicted from Old Samtal are Tinneilhing (30) and Lhunkhojam (57) .

Tinneilhing's husband Jamkholun (36) has been apprehended by Assam Rifles on the charge of triggering the IED blast.

Altogether 17 members of the two families including toddlers have been taking shelter in a small hut at a very remote corner, away from the village.

A team of media persons visited the two families at their small hut recently.

The hut was not fit to protect them from rain or shine and the inmates were found in a very pitiable condition with the clothes they were wearing as their only assets.

Kids rendered homeless take shelter in a lonely, dilapidated hut

They were taken aback when the team of reporters arrived at their hut which is literally a secret hideout for them.

Some girls even started weeping with a forlorn look.

Lhunkhojam said that they were evicted from their ancestral village by Assam Rifles on the charge that he and arrested Jamkholun were responsible for the IED blast.

"My wife lives in Myanmar.

The day before the bomb blast, I returned to Old Samtal after visiting my ailing wife across the border", Lhunkhojam said.

Jamkholun was heading for Myanmar to procure rice when the IED exploded all of a sudden.

He was immediately arrested by Assam Rifles personnel who were on ROP duty then.

In the next moment, all the villagers were called out to the local playground.

The troops then took Yangminthang, Yangmilon and Ngamlet inside a house and the three villagers were thrashed blue and black without any mercy.

Major Suter, Commander of 3rd AR post located at Old Samtal subjected all the villagers to gruelling interrogation saying, "It is you the villagefolk who are responsible for the bomb blast.

If you are not involved, none would dare plant a bomb in the area and no UG cadres would come to the village" .

Turning to Lhunkhojam, Maj Suter shouted, "You transported the bomb and you should be knowing who triggered the blast" .

Then he announced before all the villagers that Lhunkhojam and Jamkholun together with all their family members must leave the village otherwise all the villagers would be beaten up and none of the villagers would be allowed to venture out of the village.

The 3rd AR battalion headquarters CO too threatened the villagers saying that all of them would be mowed down if any more bomb blast takes place in the area.

On being enquired why they were being expelled from the village, Major Suter advised the two families to put the same question to the village chief.

Then the village chief declared in front of Maj Suter that both Lhunkhojam and Jamkholun were innocent.

"Despite the clean chit given by the village chief, we left our homes on August 27 thinking about the collective punishment Assam Rifles would unleash upon the villagers in the event of defying the Major's command", Lhunkhojam said.

"Only my 120 years old father stayed back at the house for he couldn't walk nor could I carry him.

I'm worried if he is starving", he added.

He further conveyed that the villagers have made up their mind to shift to some other place en masse in case the Assam Rifles troops do not leave their area.

Even though all their belongings and properties including food items were left behind at the village, Lhunkhojam said that they would not return to their village until the AR troops leave the area.

On behalf of the whole village, he sought immediate attention of apex Kuki bodies and other civil society organisations so that the villagers can once again live in peace.

Since the arrival of AR troops in the village in 2007, people's movement after dusk has been strictly prohibited, he added.