Imphal, May 24, 2006: The Justice S.P. Rajkhowa Commission, probing the alleged mass rape of tribal girls by militants in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, has rejected a prayer by a human rights group to rope in the services of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Imphal-based Human Rights Alert had recently urged the commission to cross-examine the accused militants through the Red Cross in order to establish the truth.
Responding to the plea, Justice Rajkhowa said the Red Cross was an international body and had nothing to do with the ongoing investigation. “Why should the Red Cross be brought in? We cannot bring in the international organisation.”
The demand to involve the Red Cross had also been raised by the two militant groups — the United National Liberation Front and the Kangleipak Communist Party — whose members were accused of the mass rape. Denying the charges, they had demanded that the Red Cross be allowed to come to Manipur to question the members allegedly involved in the case.
The Okram Ibobi Singh government had instituted the Justice Rajkhowa Commission to probe the allegation that 21 Hmar tribal women, including minor girls, had been raped by UNLF and KCP militants at Lungthulien and Parbung villages in Tipaimukh subdivision of the district in January this year.
The commission had put up at these two villages for four days to record the statements of alleged victims of rape by militants belonging to the two outfits.
After recording the statements of the victims, the commission started its cross-examination of witnesses at the Churachandpur district headquarters town a week ago. The hearing was suspended after a couple of days, but is likely to be resumed in early June.
In a related development, the state government has agreed to the commission’s suggestion that the victims of the mass rape and witnesses who come to the district headquarters to attend hearings and cross-examinations related to the case be given travelling allowance.
The suggestion was made keeping in view the distance (Parbung and Lungthulien are more than 200 km from the Churachandpur district headquarters), the sorry state of communication and the poor conditions of the villagers.
Source: Hmar.net
See also:
- Environmental Clearance of Tipaimukh Dam by MoEF (October 31st, 2008)
- Chakka bandh on Sep 18 against Tipaimukh dam (September 17th, 2008)
- 1 lakh Manipur villagers hit by bamboo flowering (September 2nd, 2008)
- Heavy security to be deployed on 99 km stretch of road to Tipaimukh dam (July 29th, 2008)
- Army launches Tipaimukh vigil (April 30th, 2008)