Manipur: AR in 145;fake surrender146; case

On March 13, in a 8220;surrender ceremony8221; organised at the office of IGAR South in Imphal, nine masked militants handed over their arms to 3 Corps Commander Lt Gen Z U Shah in the presence of the media.

On March 13, in a 8220;surrender ceremony8221; organised at the office of IGAR South in Imphal attended by this reporter, nine masked militants handed over their arms to 3 Corps Commander Lt Gen Z U Shah in the presence of the media. The AR had provided a list detailing addresses, fathers8217; names and militant outfit affiliation.

Now, the parents of five surrendered militants have petitioned the Gauhati High Court alleging that their wards were forced to play the role of militants surrendering before the media in exchange for recruitment into the Assam Rifles .

In five separate writ petitions before the Imphal Bench of the HC, the parents have also claimed that false names and addresses of their wards had been provided to the media and that they weren8217;t allowed to meet them, one of whom is a minor.

The Bench comprising Justices D Biswas and T N K Singh has given an interim order asking AR to hand over the 8216;surrendered militants8217; in question to their nearest police station or Magistrate immediately. The Bench has also issued notices to the respondents AR and Army to show cause, returnable on May 2.

The Human Rights Law Network, Imphal, which is representing the petitioners, told The Indian Express that four of the nine 8216;surrenderees8217; were produced at the ceremony, while one is yet to be produced. The petitioners have alleged that their wards were lured by a 8220;recruiting agent8221; identified as Yengkhom Somananda, who promised them jobs in the AR. The parents were told their wards were to be trained at a three-month camp prior to recruitment. Somananda8217;s whereabouts are as yet unknown.

Once in AR custody, these youths were made to play the role of 8216;surrenderees8217;, the petitioners have claimed. In the list provided by AR, the youths are said to be from various localities in and around Imphal, while the petitioners claim that four are from the same village8212;Laimanai Makhai Leikai in Thoubal district.

According to the petitioners8217; lawyers, all five petitions have been filed by the fathers of the youths in question, the AR had stated that the fathers of the five were dead. The youths have been identified as Heikrujam Ingo 18, H Lemba 18, H Momocha 17 and H Gobind 20. The AR release identified them as H Rabikanta UNLF, Y Basanta PREP

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AK, T Mantri KCP and T Nanao UNLF. H Govind wasn8217;t produced at the ceremony, and is still in AR custody.

In a press conference today, Maj Gen B S Gothra, IGAR South, said allegations of foul play were baseless. 8220;These petitions are at the instigation of militant groups. As of now, they surrenderees are in a transit camp, awaiting the completion of verification procedures. Then, they will be inducted into the rehabilitation programme.8221;