Imphal: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued a notice to the Manipur government over the death of 13 people killed in a gunfight at the Leithao village near Saibol in the Tengnoupal district on December 4.
The Commission stated that if the media reports are true, it amounts to a serious issue of human rights violations and is a matter of concern.
The killing of 13 persons by armed miscreants is reportedly the highest loss of life in a single day since the ethnic conflict erupted in Manipur on May 3.
Leithao village has nine houses and around 120 residents. However, no casualties were reported among the villagers.
Prima facie, it is suspected that the victims of the violence could even be militants from Myanmar since the nearby hills from Leithao are a common route they take to enter Manipur from Myanmar, the Commission stated.
The NHRC maintained that the incident indicates lapse on the part of the law enforcing agencies and the forces deployed to ensure peace and law and order in the state.
Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Manipur, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.
It should include the status of the FIR registered by the police and steps taken by the state government to ensure that such incidents of violence do not take place anywhere in the state.
The Commission also further observed that the reported loss of 13 human lives, that too in an area, which remained calm since the tension erupted in the state of Manipur in May this year, is indeed ‘alarming and disturbing’.
“The state of Manipur and its people have already suffered a lot. It is firmly reiterated that it is the duty of the state to protect the life and properties of its citizens both private and public and to promote fraternity and spirit of brotherliness amongst the communities,” NHRC stated.
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Further, it added that the NHRC, since May this year, has received several complaints from individuals/ NGOs and human rights activists alleging violation of human rights during the incidents of violence in Manipur.
These matters were considered by the Full Bench of the Commission and were also discussed at length, during its Camp Sitting at Guwahati, Assam on 17 November, 2023. The senior officers from the government of Manipur, as well as the representatives of the complainants and civil society, were also present, it added.
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