Ukhrul: The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) condemns the murder of three Kuki-Zo individuals—Lallungawi Hmar (21 yrs), Joshua Hmar (35 yrs) and Lalbiekkung Hmar (33 yrs) by the Assam Police on July 16, 2024, in Assam’s Cachar district near the Assam-Manipur border.
The incident, labeled as an encounter by the Assam Police, is described by KIM as a clear case of extrajudicial killing, supported by video footage showing the youths being apprehended and later found dead at Silchar Medical College and Hospital.
“Despite the Assam Police’s claims of an encounter where three Hmar militants were killed in an early morning operation, the incident is rather a clear case of extrajudicial killing,” KIM accused Assam Police.
KIM while condemning the alleged killing of the three Kuki-Zo individuals says the incident is a violation of the rights of the Kuki-Zo people, stressing the need for a permanent political solution to protect their community. KIM says it mourn the deaths of the three, and added it stand in solidarity with the families, and call for a thorough investigation to ensure justice.
Related news | Three Hmar Militants Die in Heavy Exchange of Fire in Cachar Dist, Arms Seized: Assam Police
Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) also condemns the “cold-blooded murder of three Hmar youths from the Kuki-Zo community by the Assam police in a fake encounter.”
Video evidence shows the police apprehending the youths, Lallungawi Hmar, Lalbiekkung Hmar, and Joshua Lalrinsang, without force on July 16, 2024.
“A video shot by the police clearly shows that the three victims-Lallungawi Hmar, Lalbiekkung Hmar, and Joshua Lalrinsang-were apprehended by police while they were traveling in an autorickshaw in Assam’s Cachar district on July 16, 2024, without using any force,” ITLF maintains.
Further, ITLF says, subsequent videos reveal the youths bound and taken to an undisclosed location, with their bullet-riddled bodies later found at Silchar Medical College Hospital.
The police claim they were killed in a crossfire during an operation on July 17, 2024, is inconsistent, as the youths were already in custody the previous evening, said ITLF.
“But in a bizarre twist, the three dead militants (one of them wearing a bulletproof vest in pictures leaked from the morgue) turned out to be the three youths who were already in police custody the previous evening: Lallungawi Hmar, Lalbiekkung Hmar, and Joshua Lalrinsang. Such a glaring inconsistency clearly shows the killings were extra-judicial, and the policemen involved need to be tried in court for the murder of three Indian citizens,” ITLF states.
ITLF, while demands the policemen involved be tried for murder, criticizes Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for praising the killings, and calls for an impartial investigation by the state government and the National Human Rights Commission.
It may be mentioned that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to X on Wednesday stating, “In an early morning operation, Cachar Police killed 3 Hmar militants from Assam and neighbouring Manipur. Police also recovered 2 AK rifles, 1 other rifle, and 1 pistol.”
The Hmar Students’ Association Delhi, Hmar Inpui Churachandpur, Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights, among others, also strongly condemns the alleged encounter of the three Hmar individuals.
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