Lamka, March 21, 2006: The government plan to conduct a judicial enquiry over the alleged rape incident of some girls at Lungthulian village on January 16 by the cadres of UNLF and KCP is merely its effort to buy time for cooling down sentiment of the people on the issue.
Past experience has taught us that many such judicial enquiries with regard to many incidents have been instituted but have never succeeded in delivering justice to aggrieved person. This was stated by JL Sawmi, president of the Hmar Women Association to the IFP moments after she returned from MIzoram today.
We don’t believe in it, the Hmars don’t welcome it’ Sawmi said giving reason that it is a cumbersome process and poor families like those victims will not be able to afford the expanses of appearing before the court.
And if this is the government’s response towards peoples demand for justice, then we suggest an alternative and insist on it to hand over the case either to the National Human Rights Commission or to the National Commission for Women, Sawmi said.
Moreover, the Hmar leadership who championed the rape case has been desirous of making any enquiry team to visit Parbung and Lungthulien village where the incident took place.
Further, leaders of the Hmar Women Association and the Hmar Students Association have visited the affected areas of Lungthulein, Parbung and places where the rape victims are taking shelter at Aizawl, Sohordai apart from other places from March 16.
Briefing about the tour, JL Sawmi said they have interacted with most of the victims and their parents and village authorities are giving them food and clothing.
She also said that they gave a patient hearing at most of the occasion about their ordeal they revealed with great reluctance. It was really heart rendering and most of them present at occasion broke down while narrating the incident, she added.
Source: The Imphal Free Press