Imphal, April 8, 2006: Were the 21 girls from ethnic Hmar tribe subjected to mass rape by armed insurgent cadres on 16 January, 2006 at Lungthulien village in the remote Tipaimukh?
Well, it may be just a matter of time for the truth to come out with the one-man committee headed by a former Calcutta High Court judge, Mr Justice Rajkhowa, working in full swing.
The committee was constituted by the Manipur government. The question, however, on everyone’s mind is just how do you summon insurgent cadres fighting for a separate country to testify before a state-sponsored inquiry commission?
However, notwithstanding the difficult terrain and remoteness of the place, Justice Rajkhowa has decided to extend the last date of submission of the affidavits by fourteen days and move the enquiry to Parbung. Mr Justice Rajkhowa said that the commission took into consideration the 150-km stretches of “poorly maintained roads� that the villagers would have to negotiate in order to file affidavits. That there were no affidavits at the end of first 14 days of a notification also influenced the decision.
Meanwhile, away from the courtroom drama, claims and counter claims are making their way into local dailies. In New Delhi, several tribal student bodies took out a rally calling for tribal unity and justice for the rape victims. Two organisations, United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and Kangleipak Communist party (KCP), accused of the crime, and reiterated their denial. They have expressed their willingness to testify before the International Committee for Red Cross.
UNLF’s senior publicity official Ksh Yoiheiba said the organisation would make necessary arrangements for the ICRC to record statements of its cadres, in a press release here. The outfit yet again iterated that its internal inquiry into the allegation established that no rape was committed by the combined team of Manipur Peoples Army (MPA) and KCP who had camped in Parbung at the time given when the rape took place.
But they admitted that its cadres did indeed beat up some villagers – allegedly for collaborating with the Army. The outfit further said it would award capital punishment to its cadres if they have been found guilty as charged by any independent fact-finding team.
Source: The Statesman