Stop the Killings in Manipur, NE India

Dr. Manmohan Singh
The Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister Office
Room number 152, South Block
New Delhi, INDIA
Fax: +91 11 23019545
E-Mail: pmosb@pmo.nic.in

Dear Sir,

Greetings from the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and the Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders (IPHRD) Network in Asia. The IPHRD Network is a platform for solidarity, coordination and support among indigenous human rights defenders and their organizations. This network was established to address the growing need of a common platform for indigenous human rights defenders to be able to promote the human rights issues of their respective countries more effectively with other indigenous human rights organizations and with regional and international human rights mechanisms and procedures.

We wish to express our deep concern and alarm at the number of extrajudicial killings in Manipur in 2012 after some decline in the past two years. We received reliable reports that in 2012, there were 27 incidences of killings involving 35 victims of which majority of them are our indigenous brothers and sisters in Manipur. According to the report, most of these victims were illegally detained, brutally tortured before being summarily executed. These victims have been alleged by state forces, such as the military and police, to have been killed in encounters between state forces and armed opposition groups.

The state explains that those killed are active members of armed groups and they were killed in action. Many such versions claim that they tried to throw bombs which did not explode or they shot at the state forces. However, these versions of the state forces contradict with those of the family members and the circumstances of the incidents.

These allegations however, have been belied by the family and kin of the victims. In the instances of 2012, many of the victims are surrendered members of the armed opposition groups who are going about their daily routines including being engaged in their livelihood activities.

The 2012 killings add up to those that have already been documented by local human rights organizations. From 2008 to 2009, they have documented about 603 cases committed by government security forces and about 400 cases committed by unidentified persons and non-state actors. According to Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and UN Manipur , about 1528 people including 31 women and 98 children were killed extra judicially by the government armed forces since 1979 in Manipur. Of these, 419 were killed by Assam Rifles while 481 were killed by combined teams of Manipur Police Commandos and central military forces. So far, Imphal East Police Commandos killed 90, Imphal West Police Commandos 132, Bishnupur Police Commandos 15, Thoubal Police Commandos 67 and unspecified but under the name of Manipur Police Commandos 40.

We are alarmed that these killings continue to happen and the impunity in the manner that these killings are done despite numerous investigations done by a high level investigating agent, the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding the BT Road killing , official visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Execution, Prof. Christof Heyns and his meeting with human rights groups and victims in Guwahati 28 March this year ; and the intervention of the Supreme Court initiating investigation on the killings . Despite these investigations, there is no substantial and action taken by the government to bring the perpetrators to justice, indemnify the victims and to put these incidences to a full stop.

With this, we call upon the government of India and Manipur to:

1. Immediately conduct meaningful and effective inquiries of judicial and independent bodies and prosecute those responsible without impunity.

2. Provide due compensation to the families of the victims.

3. Repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 in accordance with recommendations from the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2007 and the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions and by Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee

Thank you for your kind attention and we hope that matters raised above will be acted upon.

Sincerely yours,