Army based in Assam tortures frequently: Katiang village chairman
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 22 2011: Villagers of Katiang village in interior Tamei A/C of Tamenglong district bordering Nagaland and Assam are allegedly tortured by Army personnel coming from Assam territory.

Informing that the Army visits the village frequently and tortures them, chairman of Katiang Village Authority, Rasuilungbe drew the attention of the Manipur government.

He said except for the army visiting the village and torturing them on the charge of giving shelter to UGs, no other authority of the government had ever arrived in the village.

He said, the army charged the villagers of giving shelter to NSCN-IM, NSCN-K and Dimasa UGs, and that due to the mass torture by the army, most villagers could not work in their paddy fields in the last part of 2010.This season they will not able to store paddy for the next season.

Rasuilungbe revealed that villagers have to trek and cross rivers and mountains to reach Tamei sub-divisional HQs to procure daily requirements.

If they have enough rice, they suffer less but procuring rice is not a light task.

He added, coming back from Tamei sub-divisional HQs, they take the help of a Shaktiman truck to ride for 30 km beyond that the vehicle cannot proceed further.

Going to Assam is much easier but they fear facing atrocities from the Army there, so they avoid going to Assam, he added.

The village chairman urged Tamei MLA Awangbo Newmai to pay a visit to the village and assess the plight of the villagers.

The village has no government school and no healthcare centre.

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