SIPHRO

Imphal, July 15, 2007: The underground United National Liberation Front, UNLF, while clarifying that the party, and its armed wing the MPA, had nothing to do with the rape of a nursing housewife by armed gunmen on July 9 last in Churachandpur, has pledged to do everything in its power to identify the culprits responsible and bring them to justice.

The UNLF, in a statement said it has been greatly upset by the loathsome crime. As a group committed to wiping out this kind of morally depraved behaviour from society, it would take necessary action to identify and punish the culprits, it said.

The UNLF pointed out that in civilized society, rape is considered the worst of crimes, and is given the harshest punishment. There is no room for bringing in narrow viewpoints of community or religion with regard to bringing the culprits responsible to justice, it said.

While calling upon the people of the state to take a joint stance to ensure the punishment of the culprits, it cautioned that if a communal turn is given to the matter, it would only result in trampling women’s honour. In particular, the Indian security forces should not be allowed to use the issue as a tool to drive wedges among various communities.

On the allegations of mass rape of womenfolk in the Tipaimukh area in the early part of 2006, the statement said these allegations continue to sadden the UNLF, and the party is closely enquiring how these allegations came to be raised.

The statement said that after living in close harmony with the Hmar community for years, it came as a surprise to the UNLF to find surrilous allegations appearing against it in the media soon after Indian security forces occupied the area. The UNLF is also trying to find out why the HPC(D), with which it had even signed an MoU and provided arms, turned against the party, it said.

The statement further reiterated the UNLF and the KCP have nothing to hide with regard to the mass rape allegations, recalling that the two organisations had earlier promised full cooperation to any investigation conducted by civil society organisations, or the International Committee of the Red Cross.

With regard to the reports that have appeared linking the three men killed in yesterday’s incident at Bomdiyar to the July 9 rape incident at T Phaijol village, the statement said that even if the reports turned out to be true, the UNLF opposes any attempt to blame the group that they had belonged to, or to create communal trouble over the matter.

Their crimes do not reflect the thinking of the group or community they belong to, it stressed, and reiterated its appeal to all sections to avoid giving the matter a communal colouring.

Source: The Imphal Free Press