Discovery of human skulls and skeletons in Manipur
Our Correspondent
IMPHAL, JANUARY 10
Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights (CSCHR) in Manipur and UN and Families of the Disappeared’s Association Manipur (FIDAM) have jointly filed a petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to institute a Special Commission of Medico-Legal Forensic – Archaeological Inquiry, comprising legal luminaries, forensic and archaeological experts of international reputation, human rights defender organisations, victims’ families representatives, etc, to investigate discovery of human skulls and skeletons from former Tombisana high school on December 25, 2014, earlier occupied by Indian security forces and army units and Manipur police.The petition was filed on January 9, according to a press release issued by Convenor Dr Laiphungbam D Roy of CSCHR. Eight human skulls, bones, bangles, finger ring, etc., were discovered while labourers were levelling earth at Civil Secretariat in Mantripukhri on December 25 and 26. The soil was transported from the abandoned Tombisana High School complex in Imphal where the construction of women’s market complex is underway.
As reported, the move to file the joint petition have been initiated in view of the alleged non-issuance of any formal notification of the cabinet decision nor had they informed the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) or government of India after nine days of such decision, the press release said.
It may be mentioned that the state cabinet had decided to hand over the case of recovering skulls and skeleton remains to CBI on December 29 last year.
CSCHR has also issued an urgent appeal to the UN working group on Enforced & Involuntary Disappearance to investigate the matter carefully.
CSCHR and FIDAM also recommended prosecuting all those Indian Army personnel confirmed to be involved in enforced disappearance in Manipur.
It is also said that the Manipur University’s anthropology department preliminary estimation of the skeletal remains to be of between 17 and 40 years coincide with the high period of enforced disappearances in Manipur from 1980s till 2000s.
“This has raises suspicion, especially among the families of those involuntarily disappeared in the hands of Indian army paramilitary units that the skeletal remains were those of their loved ones whose bodies were never recovered. At least 21 cases of enforced disappearances (1980-2011) were recorded by human rights defender organisations.
Convenor of the CSCHR in a release which was distributed to the media said the government of India promptly ratify the International Convention of Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (CED), which India has already signed on February 6, 2007 and as recommended by the working group on UPR of the UN Human Rights Council. The release also further demanded to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 in accordance with the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 2007, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, UN Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences etc.
