Assam: Hmar student body alleges 3 village volunteers killed in 'fake' encounter

Assam Police's claim of gunning down three Hmar militants in an early morning encounter in Cachar district on Wednesday (July 17) came under a cloud after tribal groups raised questions about the circumstances that led to the killings.

The Hmar Inpui, the apex body of the Hmar tribe, and Hmar Students' Association (HSA) in separate statements demanded an urgent and impartial investigation into the circumstances leading to the deaths.

'Taken to undisclosed location, brutally shot dead'

The Hmar Students’ Association in its statement issued from its joint headquarters in Delhi “unequivocally condemned the brutal custodial deaths of Lallungawi Hmar, Lalbiekkung Hmar, and Joshua at the hands of the Assam police”.

The statement said that the three youth were village volunteers and not militants as stated by the police, who “valiantly defended the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar villages against the Meitei militants”, and that they were taken into custody by the Assam state police on the afternoon of July 16, 2024 at the Kachudharam Police Station.

“They were arbitrarily detained, taken to an undisclosed location, and brutally shot dead under circumstances that defy all principles of justice and human rights,” said the statement.

What the viral video shows?

The statement further said that the police’s claim of an encounter was riddled with inconsistencies and contradicted by compelling video evidence which exposed the fabricated nature of their account. It said that such acts of extrajudicial killings not only undermine the sanctity of human life but also erode the trust in our law enforcement agencies.

In the viral video it alluded to, police were seen detaining the three from an autorickshaw. In another video, one of the "arrestees" was seen taken into an undisclosed wooded area with his hands tied behind by the police.

The authenticity of the videos shared by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) in its media WhatsApp group is not independently verified by The Federal.

The Cachar district of Assam is close to Manipur's Jiribam, the latest hotspot in the ongoing Meitei-Kuki ethnic strife.

The Hmar student body called for an urgent and impartial investigation into the circumstances leading to the deaths of the three Hmar youngsters, and urged the National Human Rights Commission and relevant authorities to ensure that those responsible for these heinous acts were swiftly brought to justice through a fair trial and appropriate legal proceedings.

It also said that it was imperative that the victims’ families received justice and adequate compensation for their irreparable loss.

Police version

Earlier on July 17, the Assam police said that at least three suspected Hmar militants were killed, and three police personnel were injured in a fierce encounter in Cachar district of Assam on Wednesday (July 17).

"In an early morning operation, @cacharpolice killed 3 Hmar militants from Assam and neighbouring Manipur. Police also seized 2 AK rifles, 1 other rifle and 1 pistol," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X.

The deceased militants were part of a larger group which was preparing to carry out "subversive activities" along the Assam-Manipur border areas, a senior police officer said.

Addressing a press conference later, Cachar SP Numal Mahatta said police received an input regarding movement of suspected militants at Krishnapur road area.

"A police team rushed to the location. Three persons were arrested along with sophisticated weapons near Ganganagar while on way towards Bhuban Hills in an autorickshaw," he said.

Mahatta said as per preliminary investigation, the apprehended trio were members of a Hmar extremist organisation and trained cadres. Two of them were from Cachar and one was from Churachandpur in Manipur.

From them, one AK-47 rifle, a single-barrel rifle and one pistol were recovered along with live ammunition, he said.

"During interrogation, they revealed that some of their cadres were hiding in a nearby jungle in Bhuban Hills and planning to carry out some subversive activities along the Assam-Manipur border with a huge cache of arms," the SP said.

Special operation on Bhuban Hills

Subsequently, a special operation was launched led by the district additional SP along with commandos on the Bhuban Hills side for apprehending more militants on the basis of inputs provided by the three arrested insurgents, who accompanied the security forces.

"The moment we reached there; they started indiscriminate firing. Six-seven militants were hiding at the spot. The police team immediately retaliated. There was heavy exchange of fire from both the sides," Mahatta said.

The apprehended militants, who were wearing bulletproof jackets and helmets, suffered grievous injuries during the encounter and were immediately shifted to Sonai Primary Health Centre and later to Silchar Medical College and Hospital, where the attending doctor declared them dead, he said.

The SP also said that three police personnel got severely injured during the exchange of fire and were admitted at the SMCH.

"On the other hand, the six-seven militants managed to flee, taking cover of the darkness and uneven terrain," Mahatta said.

The place was thoroughly searched, and police recovered one more assault rifle along with live ammunition and a number of empty cases, he said.

"The entire area has been cordoned off by security personnel and a search operation is being carried out to trace the fleeing militants," he added.