NNN/MNS
Imphal. May 10: The three armed militants reported to have been killed in an encounter with troops of 23 Assam Rifles near Chadong Tangkhul village under Litan police station in Ukhrul district on Wednesday was a clear case of fake encounter, said the father of one of the deceased militants.
The three deceased militants have been identified as Laishram Nobin Singh @ Khuman (42) s/o L. Shyamkishore of Tumukhong Awang Leikai, Ningthoujam Ingocha (42) s/o (L) Pasot of the same village and Irengbam Rosan (26) @ Boicha s/o Ibomcha of Khagenpali Ningom Leirak, Imphal.
Speaking to media persons at the morgue of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal today, the father of late Nobin, L. Shyamkishore said that his son along with two of his companions were handed over to one major Hanuman, post commander of 23 Assam Rifles posted at Nongdam Kukikhul, along with arms for surrendering to the government of Manipur, but they were killed in a fake encounter and their dead bodies deposited at the morgue of RIMS.
The father of the deceased militant narrated that his son, Nobin had expressed his desire to surrender around April 26/27 this year so that he can return home and join the mainstream, and he had talked to the AR officer regarding the matter. The AR officer came to his house on May 6 and asked him to tell his son to surrender within two days.
Shyamkishore contacted his son Nobin and told him to get ready to surrender to the AR officer by May 8, to which Nobin said that the date was too early and to fix another date. But the AR officer did not agree and on May 9 the father went with the AR officer to a spot at Hidabi lok where his son would surrender. There was no sign of Nobin and his companions at the spot.
The father of Nobin was threatened by the AR saying that they would not be responsible for any untoward incident in the future if the militants did not surrender to the AR that day.
The father finally managed to contact his son again and arranged the surrender at a spot a little further away from the first spot and the three militants were handed over to the AR along with their arms.
The father of Nobin was then asked to go ahead by the AR officer and wait at the AR post as he had come on a two wheeler. But the AR team to whom he had handed over his son and two of his companions did not return till noon the next day and though he heard about an encounter taking place near the spot where his son had surrendered, he thought nothing of it because he had handed over his son to the AR.
He had then found his son’s dead body at the morgue of RIMS where the AR team had deposited the bodies of all the three militants.
Shyamkishore lamented heart-brokenly that he had trusted the AR and handed over his son and two other militants to surrender to the state government so that they can return to the mainstream, but he was cheated by the AR who had killed his son and his companions in a fake encounter.
The father of late Nobin said that the three dead militants belonged to a group MNLF which is a faction of the KYKL, but this has not yet been confirmed officially.
Meanwhile, a HQ IGAR (S) statement said discovering the movement of UG cadres along Monghlam, troops of 23 Assam Rifles of 10 Sector under HQ IGAR(South) launched operation in the area on 09 May 12. At around 02.00 am, own troops observed movement of armed terrorist from Monghlam to Chadung. On being challenged, UG cadres opened heavy volume of indiscriminate fire on own column which was immediately retaliated by AR troops and in the ensuing firefight shot dead three UGs on the spot. During the search of the area, three dead bodies of UGs were recovered. One M-16 Rifles with grenade launcher and magazine, one 9 mm Carbine with magazine, one Lathode, 55 x M-16 live rounds, three Lathode live rounds,9 mm live amn three, two Lathode fire case, one carry bag, one amn pouch has been recovered from the slain UGs. Bodies of slain UGs alongwith recovered items have been handed over to Litan Police station.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/families-of-slain-militants-allege-fake-encounter/
