SIPHRO

Imphal, April 12, 2006: Responding to the April 9 statement of UNLF which appeared in various newspapers on the Churachandpur rape allegation, the Hmar Inpui, headquarters, termed it as “yet another sinister attempt by UNLF to introduce a concocted political conspiracy theory to the issue and suppress the truth.”

The statement noted ‘with deep vexation’ that the UNLF had brazenly dismissed the charges of rapes of 21 Hmar women committed by some of its cadres in January as untrue, while countercharging that the issue was being manipulated by Indian intelligence agencies to foster ethnic tension.

“We note the suggestion of the UNLF to appoint an independent probe body of international stature like the International Committee on Red Cross (ICRC) as if the state/central government and human rights agencies in the country cannot handle the matter”, it said.

The Hmar body said, while it has no objection to the involvement of any international organisation of repute in the eventuality of central/state government’s complete apathy and inability to handle the matter, it considers the outfit’s suggestion as “premature and a classic example of drowning man catching a straw”.

The Hmar body while appreciating the ICRC’s role in rehabilitation and in providing assistance and succor in times of natural disasters, conflict situation etc., it said there are more appropriate UN investigative agencies than ICRC who can handle crimes of rape and torture as in the present case.

On the recent Delhi rally the Hmar inpui it clarifies that “the Delhi rally on April 4, earlier by all the tribal ethnic groups of Manipur and Mizoram was organised under the auspices of the Hmar Students Association, Delhi joint headquarters and not by outside-based NGOs as wrongly stated by the UNLF in its statement” adding “the rally was a clear manifestation of the unity of all ethnic groups in their fight and condemnation of the killings, atrocities and rapes committed and the indiscriminate planting of landmines by the valley based militants which already maimed and claimed the lives of more than 20 innocent villagers in Churchandpur district and the government’s inability to protect the lives and properties of its citizens.”

The Hmar body further noted, “while admitting the charges of torture and beating of innocent villagers, the UNLF justified the beatings as a punishment to some collaborator of Indian security forces”. It said “the Hmar Inpui deeply disdain the baseless insinuation and regards the statement of the outfit as an attempt to disgress the issue to hide their guilt and shame”.

It further stated that “Hmar Inpui in particular and Hmar people in general have nothing to do with the political agenda of the UNLF and that it stands for the integrity of the state and the country and the maintenance of an atmosphere of traditional peaceful co-existence of all ethnic communities in Manipur which some of the valley based militants have been unfortunately trying to wreck and regards such acts as anti-national and suicidal.”

In the meantime, referring to the discussions between chief minister O Ibobi Singh and delegations of Hmar Women Association (HWA) and Hmar Students Association (HSA) in Imphal and New Delhi on March 29 and April 4, 2006 respectively, the statement noted that the CM had categorically said in both occasions “that of the 18 UNLF cadres involved in the mass rapes, the army had already killed 14, 2 died of starvation and 2 cadres were still missing”.

The chief minister also said that he had strongly condemned the UNLF/KCP rapists on the floor of the Manipur Assembly and promised to do the same in public and the media. This was the first public admission of the mass rapes by an authority no less than the head of the government of Manipur, the Hmar body stated.

Source: Newmai News Network