Apunba Lup sceptical about CBI probe
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 02 2015 : Citing the case of Rabina and Sanjit, the Working Committee of the Apunba Lup has expressed strong reservations against the State Government's decision to rope in CBI for investigating the discovery of eight human skulls and a number of skeletal remains from the erstwhile Tombisana High School campus.

A statement issued by the committee asserted that the Government has been sleeping over the murder case of Rabina and Sanjit despite presence of photographic evidence.

Although the CBI has been investigating the July 23, 2011 killings for the past couple of years, the Government is yet to grant prosecution sanction.

Given such precedents, the Working Committee of the Apunba Lup has little faith in the Government's decision to hand over the case pertaining to the recent discovery of human skulls and skeletal remains to the CBI.

In place of CBI, the Government should constitute a high level committee with all relevant subject experts for a thorough transparent investigation into the disturbing discovery so that a concrete report is published within a specific time period.

In the meantime, the State Government should cease all construction works at the erstwhile Tombisana High School campus.

Taking serious note of the recent discovery of a mass grave at the heart of Imphal city, the outfit asserted that security forces have been committing all kinds of excesses including arbitrary detention, fake encounters, rapes and they were instrumental in many cases of involuntary disappearance since AFSPA was imposed in the State in 1960 .

The human skulls and skeletal remains discovered from Tombisana High School campus would turn out to be an undeniable testimony of the fake encounters committed by security forces for the past many decades in the name of counter insurgency operations.

There are many cases where civilians picked up security forces disappeared without any trace.

Some of the victims of enforced disappearance are Thokchom Lokendro (1980), Kangujam Loken (1980), M Kaizalal Paite (1994), Kingsutlin Kom (1995), NG Angpok (1995), NS John (1995), Laishram Bijoykumar (1996), Yumlembam Sanamacha (1998), Khundrakpam Boyai (1998) and Md Tayab Ali (1999) .

Till date, 1500 people have been killed by security forces in fake encounters.

This was confirmed by the Supreme Court after it selected some of the fake encounter cases randomly and investigated them.

Rather than working to bring a solution to the armed conflict situation, the Government of India has been treating all the citizens of Manipur as insurgents or terrorists.

Driven by this outlook, the Government of India has been unleashing all kinds of repressive measures including AFSPA upon the people of Manipur, it alleged.

Tombisana High School campus from where the human skulls and skeletal remains were discovered was once occupied by BSF, CRPF and police commandos for a long period of time.

The place is also very close to Kangla which once served as a joint interrogation cell of Assam Rifles and Manipur Police.

Some experts have already given their opinion that the skulls and skeletal remains were buried there some 17 to 40 years back.

If this is the case, the skulls and skeletal remains are of those people who disappeared involuntarily after they were picked up by security forces, the Apunba Lup claimed.

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