Sanakeithel villagers bear brunt of Assam Rifles wrath

IMPHAL, June 3 ? The villagers of Sanakeithel along the Imphal-Ukhrul line are reportedly facing harassments and even physical assaults allegedly by the Assam Rifles personnel in the aftermath of the Leplen incident wherein 11 Assam Rifles personnel were killed in an underground activists attack.

Reports reaching here said the Assam Rifles personnel allegedly entered Khomunnom Kuki village and physically assaulted many persons. The seriously injured included village authority member, village church secretary, village youth club secretary and chief of the village Thangneikhup. Some of them were also reportedly taken into custody where they were soundly thrashed. Similar incidents where the Assam Rifles personnel allegedly ran amok were also reported from different villages, including Leplen, Sanakeithel, Zelenphai and Tingpibung. The villagers of these affected villages of Sanakeithel area condemned the attack and appealed to the militants not to repeat such actions in and around villages. They also appealed to the security personnel not to vent their frustations upon the innocent civilians. The Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), an underground outfit of Kuki community, had already claimed responsibility for the attack on Assam Rifles. The outfit had stated that ambush was targeted at one David Singson who is an informer of Assam Rifles.

Meanwhile, the Kuki Movement for Human Rights (KMHR) has drawn the attention of the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi to the alleged excesses and atrocities committed by the Assam Rifles personnel in the aftermath of the Leplen ambush. In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, the rights body urged the Chief Minister to intervene and rein in the Assam Rifles men. The memorandum further stated that many were arrested without issuing arrest memo and are still in the custody of Assam Rifles. Their fate is still not known. The body, apart from submitting the memorandum to the Chief Minister, also submitted some photographs of the victims of Assam Rifles assault with some even baring their buttocks to reveal tell-tale signs of torture and severe beating. A number of victims are also undergoing treatment at JN Hospital, Imphal.