FIDAM, HRA file case at High Court
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 29 2014: Families of the Involuntarily Disappeared Association, Manipur (FIDAM) and Human Rights Alert (HRA) have filed a case at the High Court of Manipur in connection with the discovery of eight human skulls and a number of skeletons from the campus of Tombisana High School which has been shut down for quite sometime now.

Speaking to media persons at the Kwakeithel office of HRA today, HRA executive director Babloo Loitongbam said that there have been several cases of disappearance of civilians involuntarily after they were picked up by security forces.

Babloo said that he and FIDAM president Kangujam Ranjit are the petitioners of the case filed at the Registrar of the High Court of Manipur today.

The High Court of Manipur

Advocate Rakesh Meihoubam who was also present at the press meet said that the petition was seeking an interim order directing the Government to halt the ongoing construction work at Tombisana High School campus until a scientific or systematic exhumation is carried out throughout the length and breadth of the erstwhile school campus.

The petition is also seeking incorporation of FIDAM representatives in the course of investigating the disturbing discovery.

FIDAM president Kangujam Ranjit remarked that the State Government's order to hand over the case to CBI or NIA or CFSL was not very assuring.

As per the record maintained by FIDAM, 21 persons disappeared involuntarily after they were picked up by security forces between 1980 and 2011 .

It appears that the State Government is more concerned with market construction by overlooking the serious human rights issue unfolding in the State following the discovery of skulls and skeletal remains.

Kangujam Loken of Khongman Okram Chuthek is one of the many victims of forced disappearance.

He could not be traced till date after he was picked up by personnel of J&K Rifles from his residential gate on September 23, 1980 .

The latest case of forced disappearance was Longjam Suresh (28) who was pulled up from his home on February 18, 2011 by a team of 12th Maratha Light Infantry then posted at Mayang Imphal.

Suresh was pulled up together with another man in the course of cordon and search operation.

While the second man was released, Suresh disappeared without any trace, Ranjit recounted.

When Kangla fort was under the occupation of Assam Rifles, it served as a main interrogation cell for Central paramilitary forces and Tombisana High School campus is just 200 metres away from Kangla.

As such, there is a strong possibility that many people who were tortured to death in the course of interrogation inside Kangla were buried at the school campus which was also occupied by State and Central security forces, Ranjit said.