Imphal, March 19: The efforts and concerns of Threatened Indigenous Peoples' Society (TIPS) to form a fact finding team and the appeal to all civil societies/organizations to attend a meeting for the formation of the team to probe the gang rape committed by the UNLF cadres at Thangthulian village, Tipaimukh subdivision, Churachandpur district on March 25 at the Manipur Press Club, Imphal is appreciable, however the concern at hand have been testified by the rape victims and the eye witnesses through the press interview in the North-east Sun Magazine, said a joint statement issued by All Naga students' Association, Manipur (ANSAM), and Naga Women's Union, Manipur (NWUM).

Much have been said and published about the January 16 Thangthulian village gang rape incident in the local and national dailies and the living witnesses have testified publicly the beastly acts committed by the UNLF cadres to the innocent Hmar girls, the joint statement contended.

The bodies also pointed to the 'accepted fact' of the rape victims paraded before the public in the presence of Governor Dr SS sidhu.

When the gang rape incident at Thangthulian was already confirmed, why is it necessary to form a fact finding team to probe, questioned the Naga bodies.

The NWUM and ANSAM while expressing their solidarity with the rape victims, their family members and the affected people expressed views against the formation of the fact finding team to probe the incident, because solid facts had been confirmed by the affected people in the area as well as by the mass based organizations in Churachandpur district, the joint statement asserted.

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