FOCS demands legal action
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 29 2023: The Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) Manipur has urged the Government to take up befitting legal action against all the security personnel who used pellet guns against unarmed students and inflicted grievous injuries.

Aggrieved and anguished by the cold blooded murder of their colleagues, Hijam Linthoingambi and Phijam Hemanjit by suspected Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists, students were protesting on the streets in a democratic manner demanding justice but paramilitary forces, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and State police unleashed brute force as if the students in school/college uniforms were enemy soldiers, FOCS said in a statement.

Pointing out that the State and its security forces did nothing when violent rallies were staged in Kuki dominated hill areas, FOCS asked if the laws of the country are applicable only in the valley areas while there is no rule of law in the Kuki areas.

The State Government must demonstrate that their is rule of law across the State, it said.

At the same time, the Government must see that the State forces and the CAPF do not commit any more excesses on unarmed civilians as and when they stage any democratic protest, it added.

Meanwhile Shiv Sena State unit president M Tombi has urged the Government to book and award the heaviest punishment to all the people involved in the cold blooded murder of Hijam Linthoingambi alias Luwangbi and Phijam Hemanjit.

Speaking to media persons at their Babupara office today, M Tombi said that the father of Linthoingambi lodged an FIR with police on the day the duo went missing.

Even though there was an intelligence report that the two young students were being held in captivity by KNF (Zougam) in Joujangtek, the State did nothing to rescue them, he said.

Tombi said that he visited the bereaved family of Linthoingambi at Tera Tongbram Leikai today.

It is rather unfortunate that the people seem to be waging a civil movement against the Government at a time when the people and the Government must be fighting collectively against the Kuki narco-terrorists, he said.

It appears that the Centre is not listening to the State Government, he added.

He asked who gave the order to security forces to fire live bullets at students protesting in democratic manner against the cold blooded murder of Linthoingambi and Hemanjit.

All the CSOs, NGOs and the Chief Minister of Manipur condemned in one voice when two Kuki women were paraded naked.

The Governor visited the two women and extended financial assistance.

But not a single MLA has shown solidarity to the bereaved families of Hemanjit and Linthoingambi who was suspected to have been gangraped before she was murdered in cold blood, he decried before asking "What kind of justice is this?" .

The Kuki MLAs of BJP who have been fanning violence and demanding disintegration of Manipur must be expelled from the party, Tombi said.

He also appealed to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to come to Manipur and work with a commitment to bring a solution to the Manipur crisis.

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