Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 19 2009:
To ensure free legal assistance to families of the victims of extra judicial killing and torture in the hands of State actors, an institution called Legal Protection Centre, Manipur has been opened from today.
The opening of the Centre instituted jointly by various human rights activities, journalists and advocates including senior advocate Khaidem Mani, retired Judge C Upendra, senior journalist K Modhumangol and senior citizen L Sadananda, was announced during a press conference at the Wangkhei Thangapat Mapan office of the Human Rights Initiative here today.
Speaking at the occasion, co-ordinator of the Centre Jinine Meetei explained that the Legal Protection Centre has been opened with the main objective of providing free legal assistance to the family members of the victims of extra judicial killings and torture in the hands of State-actors who are committing such crimes almost on daily basis today all in the name of suppressing insurgents.
The Centre has been set up on the line of the recommendation adopted during a panel discussion session jointly organised by Manipur Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Initiative and Manipur Human Rights Organisation on December 10 last year which had recognised the need for providing free legal assistance to the victims of extra judicial killings and tortures,
Jinine added.
The chairman of the newly opened Legal Protection Centre Khaidem Mani noted that State-actors have been killing atleast 3 to 4 people on an average daily during alleged encounters in Manipur today.
Even if the police claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition from the possession of the victims of such encounters, their family members always came up with contradictory claims that either the victims have been picked up from home or gone to work place taking along with them some cash and the eye witnesses claimed that the victims were brought by the State actors in their vehicles before being shot dead.
Inspite of all these contradictions, the family members of the victims instead of seeking legal assistance have been forming JACs and raising the demand for institution of inquiry, payment of ex-gratia or resorting to bandh/blockade and Wakat Meepham without getting the desired results, he observed.
So through the newly opened Legal Protection Centre, efforts would be made to take up such cases in the Repetition High Court for inquiry by the Session Court for necessary punishment of the culprits and payment of compensation to the victims, Mani added.
Senior citizen Prof L Sadananda, who was also present, informed that the newly opened Legal Protection Centre would take up the responsibility of spreading legal awareness not just among the people but also to the various law enforcing agencies.
It is said that for the time being, a co-ordination cell of the Legal Protection Centre would be attached with the office of the Human Rights Initiative and any person who would like to avail legal service in connection with cases of extra judicial killings and tortures in the hands of the State actors may contact the telephone no.0385-2442513 .