'Encounter' Victims
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 17, 2010 -

Contradictory claim of the security forces and the family members of the victims over most reported encounter cases in Manipur is not a new thing.

While the security forces may claim that an individual was shot dead during a shoot out and arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession, the family members may come up to counter that the individual had been actually picked up from home or from some other places.

Whether the victim was formerly an active member of an underground organisation or an innocent civilian, news about encounter killing is something that people have started to abhor.

Public may have nothing to say if an armed UG cadre of an outfit was killed in an actual encounter with the security forces. But the reaction is not expected to be the same if the victim was somebody who had been picked up from a place but claimed to have been shot dead during an encounter.

Such conflicting reports confuse the mind of the people who are left bewildered as to which side and whose version are to be taken. But if one takes into account of the past incidents, where the security forces even had the audacity of claiming that an individual, who had been picked from Imphal was reportedly arrested from Moreh, it is quite obvious that public may develop a mutual distrust of the security forces and what they claim to be true.

But the fact remains that the security forces are there for the people and the State. So, public distrust of the security forces is a loss not only to the people but also to the reputation of any disciplined force of the country. For the welfare of all concerned, therefore, any conscientious mind would call for an end to such fake encounters.

There may be nothing new in this observation as many experts have stressed on this point at numerous occasions in the past. But the unfortunate part is that there has been no let up of reports of killing in alleged fake encounters.

In the latest incident, police claimed that a combined force shot dead an armed UG during an encounter on March 14 night and recovered one 9 mm pistol with magazine loaded with three live rounds and one hand grenade from his possession.

But it was revealed subsequently that the slain was none other than Sanjoy alias Nanao, who, after having been picked up by security personnel, was reported to the Kakching police as missing by his family.

Now the question is, how can the security forces claim to have killed a person, who had been picked up and the matter reported to the police in time ?

If the security forces cannot conjure up a fantastical answer to this, the Government should go for a serious soul searching, atleast this time, and make the people feel of its existence.