Acts of the government of Manipur to deny prosecution sanction to a group of perpetrators of crime while giving prosecution sanction to another group involved in the same incident is “down right arbitrary and discriminatory”, say EEVFAM and HRA.
TFM Desk
Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) and Human Rights Alert (HRA) have strongly condemned the denial of prosecution sanction against some police personnel while granting the same for some others involved in the same extrajudicial killing.
in a press note, EEVFAM and HRA recalled that on August 29, 1998, Major Shaiza and four others were killed at Kwakeithel Akham Leikai, Imphal West District in broad day light. Following the direction of the Supreme Court of India, a CBI/SIT investigated the case and submitted charge-sheet against accused police personnel.
Out of the accused persons four accused namely, Khondongbam Inaobi Singh, Thangkhongam Lungdim, Md. Akhtar Hussain and Thokchom Krishnatombi Singh were already granted prosecution sanction by the state government in the same incident.
Subsequently, CBI gave an observation the four accused persons are hiding and created false story to screen their team members from the offence committed by them, which is also an offence under section 201 IPC. On further investigation, CBI filed supplementary chargesheet against four Manipur personnel of the then Rapid Action Police Force / CDO, Imphal West for the offence punishable under section 302, 307, 201 and 34 IPC. They are namely:
(1) Nongmaithem Rameshwor Singh (A-6),
(2) Baremron Khamjai (A-8),
(3) Khundrakpam Ranjeet Singh (A-9) and
(4) Leitanthem Sharat Singh (A-10)
However, the government of Manipur denied prosecution sanction against the four accused vide letter no. 2/8(5)/2018-H(CBI) (EJK) 25 dated 05.12.2022 by Rehanuddin Choudhury, Joint Secretary (Home) Government of Manipur, said the press note.
“In a democracy where there is rule of law the government is duty bound to ensure that no perpetrators of the crime are left scot-free and they are to be punished as per the law of the land. Such acts of the Government of Manipur to denied prosecution sanction to a group of perpetrators of crime while giving prosecution sanction to another group involved in the same incident is down right arbitrary and discriminatory. EEVFAM and HRA humbly appeal to the Government that prosecution sanction be granted to all the accused against whom triable evidence have been found by the CBI/SIT so that court can conduct a fair trial to determine if they are acquitted or convicted as per the law”, stated the press note issued by Edina Yaikhom, secretary EEVFAM and Babloo Loitongbam, executive director, HRA.