SIPHRO

New Delhi, 20 Feb, 2006: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its notification dated 13/02/2006 has directed the Chief Secretary, Govt. of Manipur and Director General of Police (DGP), Manipur to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) on the complaints filed by Sinlung Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Commission (SIPHRO), to the Commission within 4 weeks upon receipt of the letter.

SIPHRO submitted a complaint to the NHRC on 03/02/2006 on the alleged rape of 10 innocent minors and torturing of villagers by the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) at Lungthulien and Parbung villages in Tipaimukh sub-division in January 2006.

Thousands of Hmar villagers fled to neighbouring villages in Mizoram state and others on January 2006 as counter-insurgency operations against valley-based militant groups was undertaken by the Indian Army. According to SIPHRO, the exodus was a spill-over of the Indian military crusade, forcing the fleeing militants to occupy and control hilly remote hamlets of Churachandpur district. This further resulted in shortage of food, killing of civilians, torturing of villages and its authorities, planting of landmines and raping of women.

The unchecked militants’ occupation and control of the Hmar inhabited villages in the Tipaimukh sub-division of Churachandpur district resulted in the displacement of thousands of innocent villagers to Mizoram. All these could have been avoided had concerned authorities look beyond to offer security protection to these villages against the backdrop of the anti-insurgency operations. SIPHRO blame the government for the inadequate protection of the lives and property of the traumatised villagers.

SIPHRO also said that the atrocities and terrors committed by the UNLF is in total violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations (UN) and provisions of the 1976 Additional Protocol to Geneva Conventions relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts.

Source: Hmar.net