Court raps AR on 2004 killing
Source: The Sangai Express

A division bench of the gauhati High Court today directed the Union of india and the Assam Rifles authorities to pay Rs 4 lakhs as compensation for the killing of one Khundrakpam Tejkumar alias Gandharva Singh s/o Kh Shanti Singh of uripok Laikhurembi Leikai.

After arrest by a team of the para-military force on March 9, 2004 Tejkumar was found killed in the subsequent days.

On the initiation of the Human Rights Law network a writ petition was filed in the Gauhati High and the Division Bench comprising of Justices Tayenjam Nandakumar and Mutum Binoykumar passed the verdict for compensating the victim's mother with the said amount within four months.

According to case dossiers, the then 22 years old Kh Tejkumar was picked up from a local yaoshang sports meet venue on the third day of the festival (March 9, 2004) by personnel of 19 Assam Rifles stationed at the Yainganpokpi post and was brutally tortured and killed in their custody.

On the otherhand, the AR contended that Tejkumar was killed in an encounter with the AR personnel and that the individual was apprehended pursuant to a confirmed report and intercepts and consequent snatch operations, having been identified as a cadre of PREPAK by a highly reliable source, a statement issued by Human Rights Law Network recounted the case records.

As per contention of the AR, Tejkumar led the troops to many places including Singjamei, kakwa, Thangmeiband etc and finally to a spot near NG mani College, Chairenthong (Khurai) from where a gunny bag was dug out and fired from the weapon previously concealed inside the gunny bag.

While opening fire and trying to escape taking advantage of the darkness, the AR team was compelled to retaliate consequently killing Tejkumar, the Network statement added.

As the matter was intimated to the Gauhati HC leading to directive for an inquiry the then Additional District Judge (manipur West) Kh Gomti Devi consequently submitted a report on May 31, 2008 wherein it was mentioned that Tejkumar was brutally tortured and killed in the custody of the 19 Assam Rifles.

At the time of passing the verdict, the Court made it clear that the compensation amount is in addition to the other remedies admissible to the petitioner in the course of the law by way of damage in civil suit and other remedies in criminal proceedings against the worng doers, the Networks' director Meihoubam Rakesh, who is also the counsel for the petitioner, added in the statement.