AR assaulted villagers: KSO
Source: The Sangai Express

Thoubal, January 22 2015: The Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) has accused the Assam Rifles of torturing and harassing innocent villagers in the aftermath of the January 14 Machi Lamkhai incident wherein proscribed PLA militants reportedly attacked the AR troops.

A press statement issued by secretary, information and publicity, Kuki Student's Organization ( KSO), Chandel said that a joint team of Kuki Chiefs' Association (KCA) Machi & Tengnoupal Block along with the KSO, Chandel district visited villages located near the spot where the attack took place yesterday following a report of harassment of innocent villagers by the Assam Rifles in the aftermath of the Jan 14 incident at Machi Lamkhai.

Among the villages visited by the team, Semang village bore the harassment of the security forces the most.

It was learnt that the villagers were detained day and night, the KSO statement said.

On January 17, the Commanding Officer of 20 AR along with the jawans came to the village and accused the village chief and the villagers of aiding the militants who carried out the attack after searching every household of the village, said the KSO statement.

The CO also even threatened the village chief to produce the persons involved in helping the militants despite the village chief and the villagers pleading their innocence, it said.

The Village Authority chairman and secretary were taken into their custody the whole day and they were even not allowed to attend the call of nature, it pointed out.

The statement further accused the CO and the AR jawans of forcibly taking the photograph of a villager along with an IV drip set which was used by a weak and aged woman of the village.

While condemning the AR for torturing and creating fear psychosis among the villagers, the KSO statement also appealed to the Assam Rifles not to resort to such unwarranted acts against innocent villagers in future when such unwanted incidents happen.

Besides condemning the particular militant group for conducting such an activity in the area, the KSO statement also appealed to all armed group not to repeat such activity in the area as the people long for peace and not unrest.

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