Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 28:
Manipur Forward Youth Front (MAFYF) has charged the personnel of 38 Assam Rifles with killing of four members of a family at Longmai (Noney) in Tamenglong district on the night of November 19.Addressing a press conference at the MAFYF office here this afternoon, president of the front Sapamcha Kangleipal, who was among the human rights activists and leaders of civil societies who had recently gone to conduct a spot inquiry of the incident, said it was not the underground activities who killed them, but the personnel of the 38 Assam Rifles despite knowing them well to be civilians.
There is no grain of truth in the claim of the Assam Rifles that all the four members of the family were killed and another villager identified as Gulliver sustained injuries in the crossing firing with NSCN (K) activists.
In fact, Gulliver was hit by a bullet of the Assam Rifles while hiding inside the house while the four members of the family were shot from a distance of 3 metres and their bodies were found together just three metres away from the house, he contended.
These were disclosed by two women neighbours who witnessed the brutal act perpetrated by the Assam Rifles to the team who had gone for the spot inquiry, he informed, adding that the Baptist church at the village has also been forcefully occupied by the security forces.
The Longmai incident has once again shown how the Indian security forces have been torturing the people in the remote areas by setting up their camps near the villages and making the innocent people their target, he alleged.
The people of Manipur should come out strongly against such atrocities committed by the Indian security personnel so that the AR personnel who were responsible for the killing could be given fitting punishment, he exhorted, while informing that this matter would be taken up with the Apunba Lup tomorrow and discussed the further course of actions to be taken up in this regard.
All Manipur People�s Association, Chennai president N Rajesh who was also present during the press conference, informed that the Association would be organising a sit-in-protest demonstration to protest the killing and demand removal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from Manipur at Chennai tomorrow.
Memoranda would also be submitted to Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Prime Minister highlighting the matter, he added.