AR/Army stay away from probe
Singlianmang Guite
Lamka, Jun 9: Against the back drop of the Magisterial Inquiry
pronounced by the State Government three years back heading nowhere,
family and friends of Thawngkhanlian, the sole victim of New Lamka's
Vengnuam Church firing incident today recounted the traumatic moments
they have undergone since, as they erected a memorial stone in his
remembrance at YPA cemetery here.
"We are utterly surprised that the Indian Army, the perpetrators of
the crime in killing our brother at Vengnuam EBC Church refused to
turn-up at the hearing of the Magisterial Inquiry," an elderly
relative of the decease youth said today as the memorial stone was
unveiled by a Pastor.
Killed in an alleged cross-fire moments before a sacrament was served
in the Church, the local Pastor at that time PH Rothuam today recalled
the verses he had read out that fateful night and how he along with
some Church elders refused to lie on the ground after hearing the
indiscriminate firing. "I then faced the uphill task of informing his
sisters that their brother was dead. They were literally screaming at
me inquiring the whereabouts of their brother who was already dead,
"he recalled.
Almost three years after the August 20, 2006 incident at the Church,
Army and Assam Rifles officials have deliberately turned-down summon
after summons to appear before the District Magistrate here.
The Army and Assam Rifles were served summons at least six times since
2007 but they did not bother to appear even at one point of time. The
District Magistrate, who heads the inquiry in his report to the
Principal Secretary, Home on 19 November, 2007 said 28 civilians and
the local police have appeared before them with necessary documents
but maintained that the attitude of the Army and Assam Rifles has been
totally non-cooperative.
Instead the Army/AR has intimated that their higher authorities have
filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the inquiry and
thus pending the decision of the Magisterial Inquiry.
The office of the Hqs 27 Sector AR in its letter dated 15/11/07 No.
11530/GS(Ops)/07/1418 claimed that the Army will not be able to attend
the Magisterial Inquiry in such circumstances. But, the question
remains, why not, when they can kill some one inside the Church
without the sanction of the Higher Authority. The Army top-brass will
definitely not order the Army here to attack the Church. Then why not
the other way round.
Besides, Col Koj Tare in his letter dated 23rd Jan 2008 to the inquiry
said there is no material/documentary evidence to be produced by them.
It is evident that the Army/AR officials have no evidence to justify
their killing and hence their deliberate evasion in appearing before
the inquiry. The repeated plea of Army and AR representatives to the
family members to join the force with the promise of a decent job has
supplemented the Army owning up their blunder.
The Army/AR officials have approached the family on several occasions
to join them and promise to arrange them a decent job, whether for a
male or female member of the family. But the family has turned-down
any such offer.
A ray of hope has appeared with reliable sources claiming that the
case pending with the High Court may be shifted to Imphal in a couple
of weeks for hearing. It is widely expected that the judiciary acted
upon the perpetrators knowing fully well that the Army or AR personnel
are not aliens but its own citizen paid to serve its citizens and not
slaugh-tered them at the most sacred places of worship.
It is clear that the personnel involved in the crime have already been
posted outside the state but the long hands of the law should drag
them in and bring them to justice in order to restore the confidence
of the masses on the law of the land.
(S Thawngkhanlian is the elder brother of S Thangkhanlal Ngaihte,
former CCpur correspondent and columnist for The Sangai Express.)
Source:http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/
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