Imphal, April 4, 2006: The Justice S.P. Rajkhowa (retd) commission, simultaneously probing the alleged mass rape of 21 girls in Churachandpur district and molestation of an arrested woman by commandos in Thoubal district, extended the deadline for submission of a statement and affidavit till April 16.
The secretary to the commission, Th. Kamini Kumar Singh, said the deadline was extended following requests by different organisations. In both cases, the first deadline set by the commission expired yesterday.
However, a source said the commission decided to extend the time only after one organisation submitted its statement and affidavit in the alleged mass rape case in Tipaimukh sub-division of Churachandpur district while no statement was submitted in the custody molestation case till yesterday.
The Okram Ibobi Singh government constituted the probe panel following an outcry of alleged rape of 21 girls by militants of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) or Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) in January. There were allegations that one Maibam Naobi Devi, 26, who was arrested by commandos, was molested in custody in Thoubal district.
Human Rights Alert, Manipur, which visited the Mizoram Refugee camp where some of the alleged rape victims are staying now, submitted its statement to the commission yesterday. The UNLF and the KCP strongly denied the allegations that their cadres committed rape.
The commission is likely to visit Parbung of Churachandpur, where the police registered a case of mass rape of nine girls to record statements of the alleged victims and other villagers, who were allegedly assaulted by militants. During a visit to the district yesterday, Ibobi Singh assured villagers at Parbung that the commission would visit them and listen to their complaints. The apex body of the tribal group, Hmar Inpui, and Hmar Women’s Association, have been demanding that the office of the commission be shifted to Parbung.
A source said no group or individual submitted any statement to the commission on the custody molestation case because the Apunba Lup, a conglomerate of 32 organisations, rejected the judicial inquiry. The government had taken the decision to institute the judicial inquiry after the Apunba Lup, which is spearheading the agitation, similarly rejected a magisterial inquiry.
Source: Telegraph