Assam: Kin Of 'Militants' Shot Dead Pick Holes In Cops' 'Shootout' Story, Cite Video To Claim Fake Encounter
The families of the three men cited a video that purportedly claimed that they were apprehended in an autorickshaw a day earlier.
Assam News: The families of the three men, accused of being militants by the Assam Police and "killed" in a cross fire, are now claiming that the trio was shot dead in a fake encounter.
They cited a video that purportedly claimed that the three were apprehended in an autorickshaw a day earlier. On Wednesday, a 1-minute 18 second video emerged showing the men being apprehended by the police from an autorickshaw, as per an Indian Express report.
FAKE ENCOUNTER by @assampolice! We truly condemn the unjust and treacherous #murder of our three #Hmar brothers who were set up by the Assam police. We demand immediate justice! pic.twitter.com/GLrKvzwcEG
— Indigenous Tribes Advocacy Committee (ITAC) (@itacofficial) July 17, 2024
The slain militants were identified as Lallungawi Hmar, 21, and Lalbikung Hmar, 33, both residents of southern Assam, and Joshua, 35, a resident of Manipur's Churachandpur. Joshua, a resident of Senvon village in Manipur’s Pherzawl district; and Lallungawi Hmar and Lalbiekkung Hmar, both residents of K Bethel village in Cachar district. In the video, they can be seen being moved out of the autorickshaw by the police.
According to the IE report, the first to step out, whose relatives identified as Lallungawi, can be seen leaving a brown bag on the seat. The others step out next, and they are seen being checked by the police. A police personnel then takes the bag and steps away, before another opens and rummages through it. He starts shouting that there is a pistol in it but does not pull out the weapon.
Cachar Police Killed 3 Hma Militants, Claims Sarma
In a post on X on Wednesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “In an early morning operation, Cachar police killed three Hmar militants from Assam and neighbouring Manipur. Police also recovered two AK rifles, one other rifle, and one pistol.”
In an early morning operation, @cacharpolice killed 3 Hmar militants from Assam and neighbouring Manipur. Police also recovered 2 AK rifles, 1 other rifle, and 1 pistol. @gpsinghips
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 17, 2024
Families Were Unaware Of Their Presence In Cachar
The families of the three men claimed that they were unaware of why the men were in Cachar.
Joshua’s family in Pherzawl said he had been away from home since June 10 after being called on to become a “village volunteer” once violence flared up in neighbouring Jiribam, as reported by the Indian Express.
Ramhlunkim, a pastor from Joshua’s Village, said, “What happened to them was a human rights violation. We can see that they were in an autorickshaw and did not resist the police at all. We cannot see any weapons with them in the video. The policeman says there is a gun but doesn’t show it. He (Joshua) is not a militant. He is just a jhum cultivator who was called to be a village volunteer by our apex tribal body,” as quoted by the Indian Express.
Lalshung, the uncle of Lallungawi Hmar, stated that both men left their village in Cachar on Tuesday, saying that they were going to visit Mizoram. He also said that they worked as daily-wage labourers.
“They are wearing civilian clothes in the video. No weapon can be seen. There is something very wrong with the series of events the police have given. We think this was a fake encounter, and the police have broken the law. We have not taken the bodies from the morgue and we will not take them till there is justice,” he said, as quoted by the Indian Express.
Militants Were Part Of Larger Group, Say Police
Cachar's Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta said that the militants, belonging to a Hmar extremist outfit, were part of a larger group, which reportedly was planning to carry out "subversive activities" along the Assam-Manipur inter-state border area, as reported by news agency IANS.
A police team acted on secret information and rushed to the Krishnapur road area and arrested the three militants along with sophisticated weapons near Ganganagar while on the way towards Bhuban Hills in an autorickshaw.
An AK-47 rifle, a single-barrel rifle, and a pistol, along with live ammunition, were recovered from the three, he told the media.
Mahatta said that during interrogation, the militants disclosed that some of their cadres were hiding in a nearby forest in Bhuban Hills and planning to undertake subversive activities along the Assam-Manipur border, as reported by IANS.
A special operation was launched along with commandos on the Bhuban Hills side to apprehend the hiding militants on the basis of inputs provided by the three arrested extremists, who were also taken along.
"When the security force team reached the hills, the hiding 6-7 extremists started indiscriminate firing. The security personnel retaliated, ensuing a heavy exchange of fire between the both sides," he said.
The accompanying apprehended militants, who were wearing bulletproof jackets and helmets, suffered grievous injuries during the shootout and were immediately taken to the Sonai Primary Health Centre and later shifted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH), where the doctors declared all three dead, the SP said, as reported by IANS.
He stated that three police personnel were also seriously injured during the gun battle and were admitted at the SMCH.
The police official said that the hiding militants, however, managed to flee, taking advantage of the deep forest and uneven terrain. Security personnel recovered another assault rifle along with live ammunition and a number of empty cases from the encounter site. The security personnel are continuing a search operation to apprehend the fleeing militants.
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