IMPHAL, July 16 NNN: The report of Supreme Court appointed ‘Commission on Extrajudicial Execution’ in Manipur that is now with the CSCHR member Extrajudicial Execution Victims’ Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM), has made various recommendations like police commandos cannot be allowed to ‘terrorize people at will’ as they appear to be doing presently.
The report says there is no doubt that insurgency in Manipur state is a reality, but the continuous use of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 for decades in the state has evidently had ‘little or no effect’ on the situation.
On the other hand, the six cases of extrajudicial killings, which have shown to be not real encounters, are egregious examples of the AFSPA’s gross abuse, it says.
Babaloo Loitongbam, executive director, Human Rights Alert (HRA) informed that the report of Supreme Court appointed Commission on Extrajudicial Execution in Manipur is now with EEVFAM. He said this during a media briefing at the HRA office here on Tuesday.
Citing the report, Babloo said the Jeevan Reddy Committee to review the AFSPA after its own hearings found that this Act had become “a symbol of oppression, an object of hate and an instrument of discrimination and high-handedness.”
The report recommends that the Manipur administration has to be made more sensitive, proactive and responsive and that the police and policing have to be made more people-friendly.
He further cited the report recommending police commandos cannot be allowed to terrorize people at will as they appear to be doing presently.
The state level police complaint authorities should also have at least one member from the civil society and must review the functioning of the District Level Police Complaint
Authority on a quarterly basis, Babaloo mentioned the report as saying.
It is clear to the Commission that Manipur state police on its own is grossly inadequate to face the challenges before it, the report says and adds that therefore it is strongly
recommended that the Manipur Government draw up and implement a five-year plan for strengthening and training of the civil police in the state so as to altogether do away with the deployment of Union armed forces in aid of the civil power.
Babaloo also said EEVFAM will win justice as the six cases are in continuous progress and informed that the next hearing on the cases will be held in the apex court on August 6.
Representatives of EEVFAM are ready to present at the hearing in New Delhi, he added. The last hearing on the cases was held at Hotel Classic, Imphal from March 3-7 last year.
He also appealed to all who want to add their views and opinion to the recommendations to get in touch with HRA and EEVFAM.
EEVFAM president Renu Takhellambam and family members of the victims were also present at the briefing.
The Supreme Court appointed Commission is headed by the former Lokayukta and retired Supreme Court Justice N Santosh Hegde, which includes the former Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, and the former DGP, Karnataka, Ajay Kumar Singh.
The apex court appointed the special high-powered commission of inquiry on January 4, 2013 to investigate the six cases from a list of 1528 cases submitted by EEVFAM.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/probe-finds-afspa-useless-in-fighting-insurgency/
