GUWAHATI The Hmar Inpui, the apex body of the Hmar tribe across the northeast, has condemned the “cold-blooded” killing of three members of the community in an “orchestrated” encounter by the Assam police on July 16.
The three— Lalungawi Hmar, Lalbickkung Hmar, and Joshua Lalringsan— were killed in an encounter within 24 hours of their alleged arrest on the Kabuganj-Amjur Road under the Kachudaram police station, the organisation said.
“This is a gross human rights violation and a reflection of the apathetic criminal justice system in Assam,” the organisation said in a statement issued on July 17, calling the incident a “whimsical” and “orchestrated extrajudicial” killing.
The police claimed the trio belonged to an unspecified “terrorist” group and was taken to the Bhuban Hills on the Assam-Mizoram border to locate the outfit’s hideout. Also claiming that the group was involved in drug trafficking, the police said the encounter happened when the “terrorists” opened fire when the police team reached the foothills.
The police said the three extremists were killed in the encounter although there was no clarity about whose bullets killed them. Two of the men killed were from Manipur and one was a resident of Assam.
“The act (encounter) is an utter disregard to the judicial institution by persons expected to uphold the supremacy of law... This is purely State-sponsored terrorism,” the Hmar Inpui said, demanding an independent and unbiased magisterial inquiry to “secure the trust and confidence of the indigenous Hmar people of Assam.
The organisation also demanded compensation from the Assam government for the next of kin of the three victims of extra-judicial killings, an end to the abuse of power by the Assam police, and the termination of the policemen and officers involved in the alleged fake encounter.
The Hmar Students’ Association of New Delhi also condemned the extrajudicial killing of three members of the community and sought justice from the National Human Rights Commission.
