IMPHAL, December 29: The Human Rights Alert, HRA and the Families of the Involuntarily Disappeared Association, Manipur FIDAM have filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Manipur High Court seeking a direction to immediately stop further digging for construction at the site from where the eight human skulls and skeletons were recovered on December 25 and 26.
Speaking to media persons during a press conference today at Kwakeithel, FIDAM president K Ranjit said that he had filed the PIL along with HRA executive director Babloo Loitongbam and that advocate Meihoubam Rakesh will represent them.
He said the digging should be ceased immediately as there are chances of destroying other evidences if it continues.
Meanwhile, a statement signed by HRA executive director Babloo Loitongbam said the PIL has also sought scientific exhumation of any other human remains from the site.
It said the petitioners have also called for constitution of a `Special Investigation Team` to be headed by a senior Investigating Officer of impeccable integrity and of a fine legal mind; sought the High Court to monitor the progress of the investigation and for FIDAM to be part of the investigation team.
On December 27, after getting information about the discovery of the human skulls from Tombisana School premises through the media, the HRA and FIDAM functionaries visited the excavation site and submitted a petition to the Chief Minister of Manipur to immediately halt the digging of the excavation site and to seal off the premises from any unauthorized persons to conduct scientific exhumation of the site with the help of competent experts in the field, it said.
The premise had been used as a base camp by various security forces namely the Border Security Forces, Central Reserved Police Forces, Manipur police etc. for many decades, it observed adding that initial expert opinion has also suggested that the skulls and skeletons would have been buried for around 17 to 40 years.
This time period roughly coincide with the period when the phenomena of `enforced disappeared`™ was endemic in Manipur as a part of counter insurgency operation, it said.
Government of India has signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on February 6, 2007, thereby accepting the principles of the convention so that it could be incorporated into municipal laws after ratification and by enacting appropriate laws, it said adding that according to Article 24 (3) of the said convention each State Party shall take all appropriate measures to search for, locate and release disappeared persons and, in the event of death, to locate, respect and return their remains.
Further the State is under an obligation, as per Article 23 (4) of the said Convention, that it shall ensure a legal system that the victims of enforced disappearances have the right to obtain reparation and prompt, fair and adequate compensation, the statement said.