Justice for Manorama, not compensation: Mother
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Thingnam Anjulika Samom

Imphal, December 19 2014 : It could be any winter day for the septuagenarian seated on a kouna mat in a corner of the small courtyard in Bamon Kampu area of Imphal East district.

A woolen shawl tied around her head to guard against the high sun, 70-year-old Thangjam Khumanleima held the turmeric roots in her palms and deftly chopped them with a kitchen knife.

The thin chips oozed and dyed her palms yellow in a last act of defiance before dropping unto the unraveled plastic sackcloth spread beneath.

"I planted them here," she said, looking up briefly and gesturing to the small kitchen garden surrounding her mud-walled house.

The fruit of her labours, the turmeric roots once dried will be pounded into powder and will supply their kitchen for the next few months.

But for Khumanleima, the lazy bask in the sun is mixed with memories of a dark night when another fruit of her labour was untimely snatched in the cruelest manner.

Her eldest daughter Thangjam Manorama was found shot dead after being picked up from her house by Assam Rifles personnel in July 2004 .

She was believed to have been raped before being killed.

Khumanleima, Mother of Manorama Thangjam

News had come the previous day of a Supreme Court ruling that has awarded Rs 10 lakh to her as compensation for Manorama's killing.

Perhaps it was the memory and the news together that made the usually reticent Khumanleima open up today.

"I was a young widow with three small children and she was my eldest child.

She had labored a lot with me, borne a lot of hardships with me.

She was a good daughter, always helping me.

How can I be happy about receiving money for her death?" she mumbled.

The SC bench comprising justices T S Thakur and P C Ghosh also upheld the validity of the appointment of the Upendra Commission of inquiry by the Manipur state government to inquire into the incident.

"The way my child was tortured, how she suffered, before they killed her.

The only thing that I want is that her killers should also be killed.

Only then will I be content," she muttered in an even voice, her head hanged down in seeming concentration to her work.

The sudden forcefulness with which she now slashed the turmeric roots was the only giveaway sign to her rising agitation and anger at the memory.

"They dragged her out of the house but I held on to her.

They hit me and I fell down, losing consciousness for a while.

My front teeth were hanging loose and blood was flowing freely when I came to.

I tried hard to stop them," she narrated.

"It had been drizzling that night.

We could hear the sounds of some vehicles going by and stopping.

The dogs in the neighbourhood started barking.

We knew that something was happening nearby.

But it was dark, and people were fearful to go out and check," said Khunjamayum Sengoi Luwang, president of the Thangjam Manorama Memorial Charitable Trust, recalling the incident.

"Things were not good now, but it was even worse then.

There were daily army patrolling and intrusions into our houses.

Pick-ups and raids on suspicion were frequent.

I used to run a PCO then, and that made me a major target for suspicion.

Just see it was a public pay phone, anybody could come and make a call.

But the army would barge into my house and ask who made a call to so and so.

They even manhandled me, an old man, and took me to their camp for interrogation once or twice," he said.

Seventy-one old Sengoi is a well-known playwright and theatre artist.

He is also secretary of the Irabot Foundation.

"At that time there were no mobiles to inquire without going out.

We did not know that they had gone to Manorama's house or was torturing her there.

We could not hear that.

But the dogs kept barking; we were itching to go out and check, but our family members stopped us.

We were afraid of the danger that lurked in the darkness out there; we were afraid that whoever is out there could very well turn their guns on us without warning," recalled Kongkham Muhindro secretary of the Thangjam Manorama Memorial Charitable Trust.

Both Sengoi and Muhindro were key members of the People Action Committee (PAC) Against the Brutal Custodial Killing of Th Manorama, which was formed by the local people of Bamon Kampu area in the wake of Manorama's killing.

"My sister is no more because of AFSPA.

Compensation was never our target when we started this fight.

It is justice that we want, and that an act like AFSPA which has killed many persons, should be removed," said 34-year old Dolendro, younger brother of Manorama.

Speaking about the SC ruling, 63-year-old Laishram Gyaneshori of the Apunba Manipur Kanba Ima Lup (AMKIL) said, "Why did the Supreme Court only talk about compensation? Can money ever replace a human life? Manorama's rapists and killers should be punished; justice should be done" .

Referring to recent newsreports quoting the Upendra Commission report which was handed over to the apex court and revealed the "brutal and merciless" torture of Manorama by the Assam Rifles team, she added, "They are only saying now what we, the people of Manipur, have known and been shouting about for the past ten years � how the army have been torturing and killing the people under AFSPA.

That is why AFSPA should be repealed" .