Over 50 Hurt in Brutal Police Crackdown on Students Rally
Central and State armed police personnel crackdown on students protesting “brutal killing of two teenagers” hurt as many as 50 persons, mostly students and a teacher. The massive protests in different parts of Imphal were triggered by photographs that surfaced on social media yesterday, showing the bodies of two missing teenagers – Phijam Hemanjit and Hijam Linthoingambi.
While the photographs innocent and hapless students caused rage among netizens, students of different Government schools and colleges in Imphal took the protest to the streets demanding arrest of all Kuki-Zomi miscreants/militants involved in the brutal murder of the two teens.
After 82 days of two teenage students went missing on July 6, photographs showing their lifeless bodies have now emerged on social media triggering massive protests with thousands of fellow students taking to the streets for the second day in Imphal on September 27.
The two teenagers, Phijam Hemanjit, 20 and Linthoingambi Hijam, only 17, were last seen on July 6. Photographs of the two teenagers alive in captivity of armed Kuki-Zomi militants and their bodies lying in a grassy ground surfaced yesterday, only a few days after internet service was restored in Manipur.
Students of CC Higher Secondary School, Ibotonsana School, Johnstone Higher Secondary School, Ananda Singh Academy, TG Higher Secondary School, GP Women’s College and Imphal College thronged the streets and demanded justice for the two deceased fellow students.
The students raised slogans such as “We want justice”, “Bring peace”, “We strongly condemn the brutal killing of two students Hijam Linthoingambi and Phijam Hemanjit” and “Arrest the culprits, Kuki militants”.
A large number of students under the leadership of Manipur’s leading six student bodies – AMSU, MSF, DESAM, KSA, SUK and AIMS – had taken out the rally on September 28 and march toward the Raj Bhavan against the brutal cold blooded murder of two young students by suspected Kuki-Zomi militants.
The protest started from Kwakeithel along Imphal-Tidim Road towards Raj Bhaban. But they were briefly halted by police at Dhobi Machu Leirak, Sega Road. After talking for a few minutes with the police, the students were allowed to proceed.
Phijam Hemanjit, 20 of Takyel Kolom Leikai and Hijam Linthoingambi aka Luwanganbi, 17 of Tera Tongbram Leikai went missing after they went out on a motorcycle on July 6. They have been assumed dead after their photographs surfaced on social media on September 25 with the resumption of mobile internet service.
AFSPA Extended in Manipur
The declaration of Disturbed Area Status under Section 3 of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, (AFSPA), 1958 has been extended in the entire State of Manipur except the areas under the jurisdiction of 19 police stations.
In an official notification issued on September 27 by the Commisssione of Home, Government of Manipur, it was stated that “Governor of Manipur hereby accords approval to declare the entire state of Manipur excluding the areas falling under the jurisdiction of 19 police stations…as ‘Disturbed Area’ for a period of six months with effect from October 1, 2023.”
The areas under the jurisdictions of 19 police stations where the Disturbed Areas Status has been exempted are Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Pastol, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Lamlai, Iribung, Leimakhong, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, Moirang, Kakching and Jirbam, the order added.
Manipur Crisis Has the Destabilising Impact of Migrants: Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar addressed the situation in India’s northeastern state of Manipur during a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on September 26, where he said that efforts are ongoing to bring a sense of normalcy, reports said.
Responding to a question from Akshya Kumar of Human Rights Watch EAM Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, “If you ask me what is happening today in Manipur…One part of the problem in Manipur has been the destabilising impact of migrants who have come…There are also tensions that have a long history…The effort is on the part of the State government and Union government, to find a way by which a sense of normalcy returns.”
Jaishankar stated that part of the problem stemmed from the destabilising impact of migrants in the region. Additionally, he noted historical tensions in Manipur that have contributed to the challenges faced by the state.
“The effort is on the part of the State government and Union government, to find a way by which a sense of normalcy returns,” the Indian foreign minister affirmed. These efforts, Jaishankar said, include the recovery of seized arms and the enforcement of law and order to prevent incidents of violence.
It may be mentioned that in early September, United Nations experts raised the alarm about “reports of serious human rights violations and abuses in the Northeast State of Manipur in India, including alleged acts of sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, home destruction, forced displacement, torture and ill-treatment”.
However, India rubbished the statement and termed it “unwarranted, presumptive, and misleading.”
Jaishankar, during his comments in New York, also reacted to the UN experts’ statements. He said that the comments were presumptive, reports added.
CBI Team Reaches Manipur To Probe Teens Death
A Central Bureau of Investigation team, led by the agency’s Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar, reached Imphal in a special flight on September 27 to investigate the alleged “kidnapping and killing” of two students, Sources said.
The two students had reportedly gone missing in Manipur on July 6.
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be providing security to the team of Central Bureau of Investigation which is visiting the violence hit areas in Manipur.
“Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been given charge of security of CBI teams visiting various locations in Manipur for investigation purposes and collection of evidence,” reports quoting a senior official said.
Upon their arrival at Imphal airport, the CBI team parried questions about the incident, reports added.
The decision was taken within hours of the case being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Manipur government.
The team led by Bhatnagar, the second-in-command in the federal agency, also has Joint Director Ghanshyam Upadhyay, who is camping in Imphal, sources said.
Meanwhile, the women’s wing of Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), the apex Kuki body, staged a demonstration in Churachandpur against the delay in ordering a CBI inquiry into the killing and rape of tribals during the nearly five-month-long ethnic violence in Manipur, reports added.
SC Says Dispose Unclaimed Bodies Respectfully
With scores of bodies lying unclaimed in morgues across Manipur, which has been embroiled in ethnic strife since the beginning of May, a three-member committee of former judges constituted by the Supreme Court has advised that the state government publish a list of the dead so that their next of kin can be identified, and if no one comes forward, dispose of the bodies in a “respectable manner”.
In a statement last week, the Manipur police disclosed that 96 bodies continue to remain unclaimed in the morgues. Since the police have placed the number of those killed at 175, this suggests that more than half of the dead are yet to be put to rest.
The Supreme Court had last month formed a three-member committee of former High Court judges, headed by retired J&K High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal, to look into the humanitarian aspects of the violence in Manipur. In an affidavit submitted to the top court on Friday, Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi listed out measures taken by the state to upgrade its Victim’s Compensation Scheme as well as some aspects covered by the committee in its reports.
According to the affidavit, among the suggestions made by the committee is that the state government publish and circulate the list of people who have died in the conflict and make efforts to “expeditiously identify the next of kin”, ensuring that they receive the stipulated ex gratia payment. In the event that this effort does not bear fruit, the committee has advised that district collectors identify appropriate areas and “dispose of the bodies in a respectable manner”.
Rakesh Balwal, IPS, Returns To Manipur
The Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet has approved the Ministry of Home Affairs’ proposal to prematurely repatriate IPS officer Rakesh Balwal, posted as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Srinagar, from AGMUT cadre to Manipur.
The decision comes three months after the all-party meeting called by Home Minister Amit Shah in June regarding the prevailing situation in Manipur, in which he informed the members that 40 IPS officers have been sent to the State.
IPS Officer Balwal, who headed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team that probed the 2019 Pulwama attack, was appointed as the Senior Superintendent of Police to Srinagar in December 2021, after it faced growing militant attacks.
Rakesh Balwal is a 2012 batch IPS officer, was moved from the Manipur cadre to the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre for a period of three years in a relaxation of policy in November 2021.
Earlier, he served the NIA on deputation and headed the investigation into the Pulwama attack, which left 40 Central Reserve Police Force jawans dead in 2019. He is believed to be the mind behind the exhaustive 13,500-page NIA charge-sheet filed before a special court in Jammu and Kashmir, reports said.
Rakesh Balwal also worked with the American intelligence agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to look into the role of the Jaish-e-Muhammad in the Pulwama attack.
Over 400 BSF, CRPF Personnel Airlifted to State
Over 400 additional personnel of the Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force have been sent to Manipur even as the state government is repurposing the Churachandpur campus of the BSF as a temporary prison as the two regular jails are nearing capacity.
The additional personnel were brought to Manipur in a C 130J and A 321 aircraft, reports said.
The state government began preparing the temporary jail started on Sunday after the premises of the BSF’s subsidiary training centre in Churachandpur were declared as a temporary prison under the Prisoner’s Act, 1984.
The move to build a new prison has come after Manipur CM N Biren Singh urged people to return looted arms within 15 days, after which central and state forces would launch a drive to recover them.
Governor Anusuiya Uikey Visits Families of Murdered teens
Governor Anusuiya Uikey on September 29 visited the families of two murdered students –Hijam Linthoingambi and Phijam Hemanjit at their residences and consoled the parents of the two students.
During the visit, the Governor expressed her sorrow and pain to the bereaved families. She said that she understands the sentiments of the people and investigation of the case is underway by the CBI. Action will be taken up against the perpetrators as per the law, she assured.
Governor Anuisuiya Uikey was informed by the local people on the extensive use of force by the security personnel towards the students in the recent protests by the students against the killing of the two youths. Governor shared her grief for all those students who were injured during the protests, reports said.
While briefing the media, Anusuiya appealed to all the parents to advise their children not to take law in their hands as it may have a lasting impact on their future.
Later, in the evening, the Governor visited the injured students at Shija Hospital, Langol and handed over financial assistance to them. She wished them speedy recovery, reports added.
Naorem Roshibina Wins Asian Games Silver in Wushu
Amidst the five month-old violent conflict, Manipur Naorem Roshibina wins silver medal in the ongoing Asian Games 2023 in 60 Kg Sanda event of Wushu and she dedicates her medal to the victims of Manipur violence.
For Naorem Roshibina, the silver medal in women’s 60kg sanda event of wushu was a victory for the victims of Manipur violence that has been raging in her native state since May this year. Hailing from the Meitei community in Kwashiphai village in Bishnupur district adjoining Churachandpur, which is dominated by the Kuki-Zomi tribes, Roshibina fought a valiant fight against local heavyweight Wu Xiaowei before going down 0-2 in two rounds in the final.
“Manipur is burning. Fighting is going on in Manipur. I can’t go to my village. I want to dedicate this medal to those who are protecting us and suffering there,” said Roshibina after clinching the silver.
The Manipuri athlete was crying inconsolably as she added: “I don’t know what will happen, the fighting has been continuing. When will it stop and return to normal life of earlier times.” China has dominated the women’s 60kg category and an ultra-aggressive Wu ensured that the hosts defended their gold medal of the Jakarta-Palembang edition, reports said.
Roshibina’s effort was good enough for the 22-year-old to upgrade her bronze from the Asian Games 2018. She had confirmed at least a silver medal on September 27 when she put up a terrific fight to knock out world championship silver and bronze medallist Thi Thu Thuy Nguyen of Vietnam 2-0.
She spoke to her parents on September 27 and they asked her to focus on the final without getting distracted by the violence in Manipur.
“They told me to focus on the match and not on other things. My family is fine. I don’t speak to them regularly as my coaches say the violence at home will distract me. We prepared very well and we could do well here and won a silver,” she added.
The Indian found the going tough against Wu Xiaowei, the reigning champions in the category, allowing the Chinese to get off to a strong start. Wu was declared winner by the judges after two rounds.
Hailing from a modest background, Roshibina came to limelight after winning a bronze medal at the Junior Worlds in 2016.
At the 2018 Asian Games, a total of 10 competitors had initially qualified for the event.
Alotgether 58 Meiteis Killed, 23 Missing: COCOMI
Altogether 58 Meitei people have been killed in the current crisis. Moreover, 2911 Meitei people sustained injuries of varying degrees while 23 people are missing, according to the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, COCOMI.
Speaking to media persons at their office at UCM Complex at Lamphelpat in Imphal West on September 29 afternoon, COCOMI’s Medical and Healthcare Committee coordinator YK Dhiren said that the 58 Meitei people killed in the “Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists’ aggression” included those who were declared brought dead at hospitals as well as those who succumbed to injuries after reaching hospitals.
Of the 2911 Meitei people who sustained injuries, many sustained critical injuries and some of them have been taken outside the State for further treatment, Dhiren said.
According to information received from the Voluntary Help Unit Committee, RIMS, around 300 people who sustained injuries in the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists’ aggression were treated at RIMS Hospital. The committee spent around Rs 10 lakh in their treatment, he said.
The Relief Committee, JNIMS said that around 1808 injured victims were treated at JNIMS Hospital and it spent around Rs 12 lakh on their treatment. Those treated at JNIMS Hospital included some from relief camps.
Altogether 333 people were rushed to Raj Medicity but 11 of them were declared dead on reaching the hospital while four succumbed to injuries in the hospital.
Further, 70 injured victims were brought to Shija Hospitals and Research Institute, 87 to Little Clinic, 22 to Kripadarshini Advanced Hospital, 51 to Advanced Hospital, three to Asian Hospital, 50 to Jeevan Hospital and 37 to National Charitable Hospital, Moirang.
Some other victims were taken to Bishnupur district hospital, Thoubal district hospital, other sub-district hospitals and PHCs.
At the request of COCOMI, the private hospitals treated the victims free of cost. For this, COCOMI would like to convey gratitude to the private hospitals, Dhiren said.
So far, the Government has not paid a single rupee for treatment of the injured victims of Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists, he said. He then appealed to all the people to inform COCOMI if any one has sustained injuries in the violent crisis or is in need of further treatment after being discharged from hospitals. COCOMI is planning to create a corpus fund for treatment of injured victims, he added.
