Imphal, Nov 15(NNN): A two-judge Imphal Bench of the Gauhati High Court has sent today a first motion notice to the chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), New Delhi, to be relayed to Union Government of India and Manipur government for instruction on the disclosure of the whereabouts of United National Liberation Front, UNLF, chairman RK Sanayaima aka RK Meghen who mysteriously disappeared after being reportedly arrested from Bangladesh on September 29 last.
The wife of the rebel leader, RK Ibemnungshi, had filed a writ petition to the Imphal Bench of the Gauhati High Court on October 29 seeking for the revelation of her husband’s whereabouts at the earliest invoking humanitarian and International laws.
The two judge bench headed by justice TNK and Justice AC Upadhya observed by quoting the petitioner said that UNLF chief was “arrested by a combined team of Indian intelligence agency RAW and their Bangladeshi counterpart from Lalmatia area of Dhaka under Mohammadpur Police Station” was splattered “through various news agencies including the BBC and various legal and national newspapers.” And prima facie, the petitioner (Meghen’s wife) contested that “the whereabouts of the petitioner’s husband is not unknown”, and that the same cannot be hidden from public glare but revealed at the earliest.
Meghen’s wife, had earlier filed a writ petition on October 14 last to the chairman of National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, New Delhi for necessary direction to the Union of India and the State government of Manipur for disclosing and furnishing or giving the detailed information about the whereabouts, location and position of the petition’s husband; but no action was taken by the said authorities, observed the Court. Representation was also filed to the United Nations Commission for Human Rights (UNCHR) on October 17, 2010.
Given the “strong allegations” in the writ petition against the State of Manipur as well as the Union of India and the National Human Rights Commission, the Court invited instruction regarding the allegations from the counsels appearing for the accused, and further instructed them to file their instructions in the form of an affidavit.
The alleged disappearance of UNLF chief RK Meghen has become a full blown public issue in Manipur with as much as 17 or more civil organizations calling a shot at what can be termed as a political potboiler of a situation. If the boycott of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s recent visit to the State is any indication, voices of dissent are only waiting to be strengthened in the coming days. The fact that Sonia Gandhi played safe by refusing to comment on the issue has irked the people further who were waiting to be reassured that their grievances will be looked into.
Union Goverment need to be transperant regarding such case if they really want to bring a solution to the long pending political problem. SIncere effort needs to be shown to people before initiate any move to bringing solution.