Armed groups to blame for most violations: report

“The killing of Bihari labourers, abduction and murder of FCI’s executive director P C Ram, and the killing of Purnendu Langthasa and Nirmalendu Langthasa, both sons of veteran Congress leader G C Langthasa, clearly establish that the armed groups were responsible for more human rights violations,” the report says. At least 46 Bihari migrants were killed in Assam in 2006 by different armed groups, while the figure exceeded 100 during 2007. “It is a very serious matter that these groups have been targeting people on the basis of their ethnicity, language and origin. These are international crimes. These groups have failed to abide by international human rights norms,” Suhas Chakma, director of the Asian Centre for Human Rights, said.

Expressing concern over the fact that the Government had failed to bring to book these violators of human rights, it also held politicians and political parties responsible for keeping the armed groups alive.

“Where are these armed groups getting the funds from? Funds are definitely flowing to these groups from various government projects. Huge sums of money are being diverted or channelised to the armed groups by various means, and the politicians must be held squarely responsible for this,” Chakma said.

The ACHR, however, has not spared the security forces too. “Security forces too were responsible for serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, rapes and extra-judicial killings,” it said, giving details of several cases in which family members of victims had to approach the High Court to seek redressal.