WCAL vows to continue fight against 'state terrorism'
Tributes paid to Rabina and Sanjit, victims of Khwairamband Keithel firing incident on July 23, 2009
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 23 2022:
The Working Committee of the Apunba Lup (WCAL)
remembered Th Rabina and Ch
Sanjit, who were killed in an
alleged fake encounter by state
police commandos in the heart of
Imphal city on this day in 2009,
on their 13th Death Anniversary
on Saturday.
In view of surge of COVID-19
positive cases, the remembrance
event of Rabina and Sanjit was
held in a simple manner with
offering of floral tributes with
family members at the respective
residences of the departed duo.
Talking to media persons on
the sidelines of the remembrance
event, one of the WCAL's coordinators Phulindro Konsam
recalled that the colonial era legislation Armed Forces Special
Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 was
imposed in the hill districts of
Manipur in 1960 before it was
imposed throughout the state in
1980.Since then, security forces
have been unleashing all kinds of
repressive measures and human
rights violation with immunity
guaranteed under AFSPA.
Under
the garb of tackling insurgency, Indian security forces raped
many women while some rape
survivors committed suicide,
Phulindro said, adding that people still remember the stories of
Valley Rose of Ukhrul, Sanjita of
Jiri and Thangjam Manorama.
Apart from killings, atrocities and human rights violation
committed by Indian security
forces under the guise of AFSPA, Manipur police commando
with de-facto immunity or in
the name of combined force too
carried out many stage-managed
killings just like Indian security
force did under the guise of the
draconian Act and their heinous
acts against innocent civilians
were known to people of the state
clearly.
One infamous fake encounter killing that involved the
police commando was the July 23,
2009 killing of Rabina and Sanjit
at Khwairamband bazar and this
case remains a big issue of the
state till date, Phulindro said.
He also recalled how the state
administration reacted to the
incident and the infamous 'Hatpa
Natana Upai Leite' (no option
other than killing) remark made
by the then chief minister on the
floor of the state assembly.
In the wake of the incident,
people of Manipur spearheaded
by WCAL launched an intense
agitation demanding befitting
punishment of the police commandos involved in the killing
of Rabina and Sanjit.
Scores of
people were injured in brutal
police crackdown to suppress
the agitation while many innocent agitators were slapped with
NSA and put into jail.
Unable to
bear with people's unrelenting
movement, the then government
handed over investigation of the
case to CBI and the high court too
ordered handing over the case to
the central investigating agency.
Later, charge sheet was filed
against nine police commando
personnel and one inspector
and the trial against them continued, Phulindro said and
further recalled the bold confession of head constable Th
Herojit about firing six bullets
at the unarmed Sanjit inside a
pharmacy at the order of the
then additional SP and with
full knowledge of the then
CM and DGP.
In the wake of head constable Herojit's confession
and submission of affidavit
in the court, WCAL mounted
strong pressure for reopening the case and accordingly the CBI prayed before the
Sessions Court Imphal West
for reopening of the case and
court too granted the same on
February 14, 2017.In further
investigation of the case, CBI
questioned all those involved
in the case including the then
additional SP Jhalajit.
However, people of the state are still
unaware of progress of investigation into the case, he said
and demanded submission of
supplementary charge sheet
against all involved police
commandos and officers at
the earliest.
Phulindro further said that
the Supreme Court has started
giving judgement on some
of the fake encounter cases
which the apex court directed
CBI to conduct investigation
and there has been discussion
about awarding compensation
to victims of fake encounter
killings.
However, WCAL's objective is not compensation but
award of befitting punishment
to security forces involved in
such fake encounter killings,
he said and made it clear that
WCAL will continue to fight
against state-sponsored terrorism and launch democratic
agitation with the people till all
the guilty security personnel
involved in fake encounters are
given befitting punishment.
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