IMPHAL, April 7: The Zeliangrong Baudi, Assam Manipur Nagaland (ZB, AMN), Manipur, Zeliangrong Student`™s Union, Longmei Students`™Union and several other Longmei organisations have strongly condemned the act of inhuman treatment and torturing to one of the proscribe ZUF cadre by the 8 Assam Rifle on April 6.
While speaking at the press conference held at the Manipur Press Club, President of Longmai Students`™ Union Poujailung has stated that the inhuman treatment of torturing and dragging the civilian semi naked on the road of Noney Bazar by the AR is an act of barbarism and a gross violation of human rights.
The AR`™s beastly treatment of the people is not acceptable at any cost and as a citizen of the democratic Indian nation, every individual has the right to live freely within the country without unnecessary harassment from the security forces, he added.
An official source however said, Joseph is a self styled captain of the ZUF, and the Noney area commander, and a resident of the Noney-IV, Peaceland. The source also said he was caught with a 9mm pistol with 19 live rounds, along with Rs. 10,000.
The source also claimed the man was involved in two ambushes, one on the 8AR in the Noney area and another on 2/5 GR in L Khunou, both in March 2015.
However, in the press conference, Poujailong further narrated that during the incident on the afternoon of 6 April, the arrested cadre was pulled half naked tight with a rope and severely beaten in full public view and the 8 AR CO shouted in a very challenging tone `Come out women folk, now the war has begun, I command 2000 soldiers`. The act of the AR CO clearly showed that the AR behaved like an invading enemy and not as a protector to citizen anymore and it is not the 1st incident committed by the AR. Poujailong added.
Zeliangrong Students`™ Union State Secretary, Shangru Gangmei has said that the villagers are facing acute hardship with continuous atrocities causing fear and perilous situation under the spell of security forces terrorism.
The security forces torture, harass and violate Human Rights rendering the people helpless even as the agricultural season sets in and the public are fear ridden to move out of the villages or to return to their villages, he added. He continued that the presence of the AR is disrupting the economic life of the villages, frequent patrolling in the villages caused immense fear psychosis for health patients like BP ailments, old age persons, women and children.
During the Conference, President, Longmei Students`™ Union, Pouheilung Golmei has informed the media that a joint leaders`™ meeting was held at the office of Longmei Bazaar Board in connection with the issue in the evening of 6 April.
The Longmei organisations strongly demanded the security forces of 8 Assam Rifles posted at Noney (Longmai) to apologise to the people of Noney either through media and also urged the government of India, government of Manipur and the concerned authority of the security forces to intervene and prevent from illegal activities of the security forces and provide peace and stability to the poor innocent villagers.
ouheilung Golmei also said that if the concerned authority do not promptly act in this regard and if 8 AR failed to apologise for their misdeed the joint leaders of different Longmei organisations will not remain a silent spectator and further course of agitation will be initiated, he added.
