Curfew Imposed in Imphal, 8 Members of Banned Outfit Held

The two masons died when they were taken "into custody" by the underground group during interrogation by the cadre members.

Children play near a vehicle torched in Imphal, Thursday.

By Esha Roy

Imphal, May 15 : Eight cadre members of the Kuki Revolutionary Front (KRF), a banned underground group in Manipur and a Suspension of Operation signatory with the Indian government, were picked up on Wednesday by a joint team of the Imphal West and Imphal East police commandos for the murder of two masons after a search operation was conducted in Thingsat village and its surrounding areas.

The two masons died when they were taken “into custody” by the underground group during interrogation by the cadre members. A furious mob turned violent on Thursday in light of these deaths in Patsoi village, where both the victims hailed from. They allegedly attempted burning a Church last night and today beat a Kuki driver to death. The violence has taken a communal turn as the masons belong to the majority Meitei community and there have been sporadic attacks on Kuki tribals travelling in the area. The Manipur police has imposed a curfew in the areas and has stopped movement on the Imphal-Jiribam highway where the village is located.

The two victims, both 20-years-old – Moirangthem Dayananda and Maibam Premananda – were working in Needy Home Academy, a residential school located at Maipou Khullen village. They, alongwith a 12-year-old Class 6 student Konthoujam Bishal, were picked up by the KRF cadre members who suspected them of being informants to another Meitei underground group. They went missing Sunday morning. On Tuesday, May 12, Bishal was handed over to his family by the KRF who also informed them that Dayananda and Premananda had “died during interrogation”. Bishal is presently being treated at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences.

The police have since recovered Abung and Premanandas bodies. Furious Patosi villagers have been blocking the national highway with human chains and tree branches and boulders and burning tyres at various points on the national highway. Police teams have been deployed along the highway to control the situation. They have imposed a curfew in the area and the Joint Action Committee formed by the family members of the deceased and villagers have called a 24-hour general strike from midnight tonight till midnight tomorrow.

The villagers have tried to burn a Church at Patsoi village last night. Five passenger vehicles were halted today and the passengers were made to disembark. The passengers, all belonging to the Kuki tribe, were beaten up – some severely. The five vehicles were then set on fire by the irate mob. A Shaktiman driver, another Kuki tribe members, was also beaten up by the mob. He succumbed to his injuries as he was being rushed to the hospital by the police. Sources said that there have been sporadic attacks on anyone being identified as belonging to the Kuki tribe.

The JAC has demanded an explanation from the KRF as to why these boys had been killed. They have also demanded that the government take action against the group and provide “befitting punishment’’ to the arrested cadre members. They have contended that such incidents do take place every once in a while but the government has not only failed to take action in the past but proper investigations are also not conducted into such incidents.

VDF Rally in Imphal Turns Violent, Several Arrested

Imphal, Mar 27 : The Manipur Police today fired several rounds of tear gas shells and live bullets as the agitating Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel turned violent and tried to manhandle Imphal West Additional SP (Law and Order) S. Ibomcha at Khoyathong.After holding a meeting at THAU ground under the aegis of All Manipur VDF Welfare Association, over 1000 VDF personnel took out a rally towards Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's residence.

Their demands included honorarium hike, setting up of a separate VDF battalion and service security.

A heated verbal confrontation broke out between the VDF personnel and a police team led by S. Ibomcha as the rally was blocked near ABC godown, Khoyathong.

Later, the police teams led by the OCs of Imphal and City Police stations and Imphal West Commando DSP Krishnatombi also arrived at the spot to control the agitating VDF personnel.
The police personnel later fired some tear gas shells to disperse the agitators as they tried to force their way towards the Chief Minister's bungalow pelting stones on the police.

In the clash, a group of VDF personnel rushed towards Ibomcha with one of them trying to manhandle the police officer, who was trying to help an injured VDF personnel.

On seeing the attack on the Additional SP, Imphal West commando DSP Krishnatombi and his team fired several rounds of live bullets in the air.

Several VDF personnel were taken into custody after the untoward incident.

Rs 10L Ex Gratia For Manorama Devi’s Family

Imphal, Mar 20 : The family of Thangjam Manorama Devi, who was a victim of the excesses of the Assam Rifles, has received Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia from the Centre.

Manorama's bullet-riddled body, with signs of torture and rape, was found near a tribal village in Imphal East district on July 11, 2004. Soldiers of 17 Assam Rifles had picked her up from her Bamon Kampu residence of the same district the previous night.

Manorama's killing had triggered widespread protests across the state with locals renewing their demand for scrapping the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

As part of the protest, 15 women had stripped at the gate of the then 17 Assam Rifles headquarters at Kangla Fort in Imphal.


On Wednesday, the amount, which was deposited in the account of Manipur high court by the Centre, was given to Manorama's mother Th Khumanlei.

IMPHAL, Over 30 Blasts in Just 80 Days

By Alok Pandey, B Sunzu

There have been 35 blasts in the last 80 days in Manipur.

Imphal, Mar 13 :  Three people were killed and 23 injured in Imphal's latest Improvised Explosive Blast (IED) blast on Wednesday evening that took place near a crowded marketplace. This blast was the latest in a series of explosions that have rocked Manipur's capital this year, continuing a disturbing trend over the last few years, where explosions, loss of lives and a general atmosphere of insecurity have become the norm in Imphal, and across the state.

In just the last 80 days or so, Manipur has seen a whopping 35 grenade or IED blasts, a majority of these in Imphal. In addition, another 15 bombs have been detected, and defused. Among those dead in Imphal's latest explosion was 22-year-old Mintu Yadav from Bihar, a migrant labourer working in Imphal for five years, and someone who just got married four months ago. Imphal has a sizeable population of migrants who mostly work as labourers or run small businesses.

"You know this is very scary. Sometimes I just want to pack my bags and leave," said Arun Mahatong, who settled in Imphal in 1986, and runs a small grocery shop.

In 2014, there were 66 blasts across Manipur, which killed 15 and injured 76. Again, most of these blasts happened in Imphal.

A host of insurgent outfits operate in Manipur , often with impunity. The government says it is tightening up security measures and making CCTV camera surveillance operational in Imphal, but so far, these measures do not seem to be working.

"We have to contain these kinds of things. It is very disturbing that so many blasts are happening. I am not justifying anything, but Manipur is not the exception. These things could take place anywhere," said Manipur Home Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei.

Another disturbing trend, how migrant labourers are increasingly being targetted in explosions. Since December 2014, seven non-locals have been killed in Imphal in three separate attacks. These attacks have come in the backdrop of a violent agitation over the past year and more, for the imposition of the Inner Line Permit rules across Manipur that will restrict the entry of outsiders into the state. The Manipur government says they have no confirmed link between the blasts and the Inner Line Permit Agitation, but it is certainly another worrying factor for an administration, already struggling with so many blasts.

Man arrested in Delhi for harassing a group of women from Manipur

Police said that the man has been accused of taunting and gesturing at the women. In a complaint to the police the women said that incident had happened around 5pm when they were at the park for an evening walk. The man had started following them and had had passed a few remarks as well.

New Delhi, Mar 13 : An 32-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly harassing a group of women from Manipur at the Lodhi Garden on Monday afternoon. Police said that the man has been accused of taunting and gesturing at the women. In a complaint to the police the women said that incident had happened around 5pm when they were at the park for an evening walk.

The man had started following them and had had passed a few remarks as well. When the women protested against this the man had allegedly made lewd gestures at them. Following this they called the PCR and registered a complaint.

The man was arrested from the spot by a team from the Tughlaq Road police station. During interrogations, the man has revealed that he works at a multinational company based in Dwarka and was at the park after work. A case under section 354 IPC (outraging the modesty of a woman) has been registered against him.

First Swine Flu Death in Manipur

Imphal, Mar 12 :  Manipur recorded its first swine flu casualty as a 35-year-old woman today died of the disease, state Health Director O Ibombcha said.

The victim, identified as Basaspatimayum Gita of Imphal East district died in a private hospital.

Another woman, whose fluid sample has been sent to Mumbai for confirmation of the H1N1 also died, but it was not yet confirmed whether she died because of the deadly virus or diabetes, Mr Ibombcha said adding the report from Mumbai laboratory was expected either this evening or tomorrow.

Mr Ibomcha said all precautionary measures had been taken to prevent spread of the disease with all government hospitals arranging separate wards for such patients and they would be treated free of cost.

Adequate medicines have been procured, he said and appealed to the public not to panic.

Four Killed After Explosion in Busy Market in Manipur

After an explosion in Imphal, Manipur, India, 2009.File photo

Imphal, Mar 12 : Four people were killed and fifteen wounded after a powerful explosion in a busy marketplace in northeast India on Wednesday.

The explosion occurred in central Imphal, state capital of Manipur, Myanmar's neighbor. It is a restive area that has long been the site of violent separatist attacks.

"Most of the victims were either shoppers or vendors," A.K. Singh, senior state police official, told AFP by phone from Imphal, adding that "a powerful IED (improvised explosive device) was planted".

According to Singh’s report, the injured were delivered to the local medical college hospital; at least six of them seriously wounded.

Hospital officials said four bodies were found in the site of explosion.

The motives of the attack weren’t clear and no rebel group has claimed responsibility for it.

The state has long been the site of violent attacks. Numerous tribal groups and small guerilla armies often clash with each other in the struggle for dominance in the state.

We Hold Key To Manipur Peace, Naga Body Tells SC

New Delhi, Mar 10 : At a time when the Supreme Court is hearing a petition on Manipur being cut off from the rest of the country due to frequent blockades of the national highway, the United Naga Council on Monday audaciously told the court that there could be no peace in Manipur without the conglomerate's "consent and guarantee".

The petition was filed in the aftermath of the over month-long blockade of NH-39 by Naga groups at Mao, resulting in a severe economic crisis in Manipur. Essential commodities became scarce and their prices skyrocketed.

Referring to the recent lynching incident in Nagaland, advocate Prashant Bhushan wondered whether there was something called "law and order" in the state.

However, senior advocate B B Sanyal, appearing for the Naga Council, told the court that the council should be made a party to the pending litigation. "Without consulting us and without our guarantee, there will be no peace in Manipur," he told the court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu impleaded the Naga Council as a party to the pending litigation and allowed Manipur standing counsel Sapam Biswajit to file response to the council's application.

First Case of Swine Flu Detected in Manipur

In Manipur, a woman was detected with swine flu, the first case of this season to be found in the North Eastern state.

According to Dr. Jugindro Singh, Superintendent of Shija Hospital, the woman was undergoing treatment after being suspected of being infected by the H1N1 virus. Her blood sample was sent to SRL Diagnostics in Mumbai on February 28, following which her sample was found to be positive.

The woman is now under medical supervision.

The medical department in the Shija Hospital has been alerted so as to undertake urgent measures to tackle any eventuality of spread of the virus.

Imphal-Mandalay Bus Service Talks On

New Delhi, Mar 5 : India is in discussion with Myanmar to start a bus service between Imphal and Mandalay and a joint technical survey was carried out in January to finalise the route alignment, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh informed Lok Sabha today.

“Government of India is in discussion with Government of Myanmar for starting cross border bus service between Imphal in Manipur and Mandalay in Myanmar. A Joint Technical Survey was carried out in January, 2015 for finalising the route alignment for the bus service,” Singh said in a written reply.

He also said India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are exploring the possibility of signing a sub-regional agreement on movement of motor vehicles.

“Two rounds of negotiations have taken place,” he said, adding that the agreement would enhance connectivity, facilitate easy movement of passenger and goods vehicles and enhance cross border transportation.

Singh said the leaders of SAARC, in the Declarations issued at the conclusion of Summit Meetings, called for realisation of the ideal of the South Asian Economic Union.

He said a study has also been commissioned by SAARC and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to suggest ways and means for the achievement of the South Asian Economic Union.

Zomi tribes celebrate ‘national day’ in Manipur

Imphal, Feb 23 : The Zomi tribes on Friday celebrated their 67th 'Zomi Nam Ni' (Zomi National Day)-cum-Mithun Festival at Churachandpur district headquarters with pomp and gaiety.

Music and dance performances by various tribes lightened up the festive atmosphere and amid all the din and bustle the political leaders pledged to maintain peace and unity. This year's theme was "Marching forward in Unity".

Zomi tribes from Myanmar, Mizoram and New Zealand also participated in the event. The tribe can be found in 35 countries. The Zo ethnic group comprises Chin, Kuki, Mizo, Lushai and Kachin, according to the community elders.

Former chief minister and veteran politician Rishang Keishing (96) was the chief guest. He appealed to all the communities co-existing in the state to set aside their narrow interests and join hands for a better Manipur.

Keishing, who served 33 years as legislature and 22 years as MP, expressed dissatisfaction over the internal conflicts that have earned a bad repute for the state.

People should not forget that the hills should be brought on a par with valley in terms of development to maintain peace and harmony in Manipur, Keishing said.

Kuki National Organization (KNO) president P S Haokipw urged the state people to harbour a fellow feeling among themselves. KNO is an umbrella body of 17 Kuki militant groups which are signatories of the Suspension of Operation (Soo) with the government.

"I am pleased to say that the vision of unity is not confined to our people in Manipur, but extends to our fellow Mizo, Chin, Kachin, Konyak, Khimnungan, Zeliangrong, Karbi, Heimi, Para, Makury , Lainao, Naow and Nahen people," Haokip said. "We share a common past, customs, culture and tradition that bind us despite international boundaries that physically separate us," he said.

Ex-Mizo CM Raps UPA For ‘Delaying’ Peace Deals

Aizawl, Feb 11 : Former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga slammed the UPA government for refusing to engage with Manipur-based Kuki-Chin-Mizo ethnic insurgent groups in spite of signing ceasefire agreements with them.

The Mizo National Front (MNF) chief, who was in Shillong last week to broker a peace deal between United People's Front' (UPF) and the state, said the UPA regime signed Suspension of
Operation (SoO) agreements with Hmar, Kuki, Gangte and Paite militant groups but
did not hold political talks with them in the past 6 years.

"I met the Manipur-based groups in Shillong to find a permanent solution to their problems," the former underground leader said.

Zoramthanga said he hopes the NDA government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would work to solve the issues of the region.

"The outfits are extremely fed-up with the delaying tactics of the erstwhile UPA regime. We hope to have peace now," he said.

Zoramthanga had already met the Manipur-based
ethnic groups in Delhi after he returned from Myanmar and Thailand in January.

The former chief minister had visited Yangon and Bangkok to broker peace between the Myanmar government and ethnic insurgent groups in that country.

After meeting Myanmar ministers and officials in Yangon, Zoramthanga met
17 ethnic Myanmarese
insurgent groups, comprising Karens, Kachins, Was, Arakanese, Chins and other ethnic factions, in Yangon.

A Slice of Royalty

Somi Roy, son of the late novelist MK Binodini Devi. (Source: Deepak Shijagurumayum)

By Esha Roy

It was northeast India’s first entry at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Churachand Maharajgi Imung, (The Maharaja’s Household: A Daughter’s Memories of Her Father) (Zubaan Books) is the story of Maharajkumari Binodini Devi, presented by her son Somi Roy, and uncle of the present King of Manipur Leishemba Sanajaoba.

“The rest of the country has little idea about Manipur, and the Northeast in general. It’s either all the news of violence or an exotic view of the state from the government’s tourism website. By exoticising us, we are seen as ‘the other’. At Jaipur, Manipur has finally claimed a seat at the table,” said Roy, at the launch of the book during the recently concluded festival in Jaipur.

When The Indian Express met him in Manipur, there’s none of the political rhetoric. He sits on the lawns of his mother’s home as white butterflies flit across. In the same garden at the back, is a pond, and two imposing trees flank a shed where performances were once held. “Some of my earliest memories of home was when I was barely four-years-old. Every evening, around 10-15 artistes would come home either to practice a play or sing Rabindra sangeet. Where we are sitting was once the heart of Manipuri culture and Binodini Devi was the Renaissance figure of Manipur,” he says.

MK Binodini Devi, a descendent of the Ningthouja dynasty, passed away in January 2011. A student of painting and sculpture at Shantiniketan’s Kala Bhavan from 1948 to 1950, she was greatly influenced by the works of Rabindranath Tagore. But it is through her writings that Imasi or the Royal Mother, came to be known in Manipur as its first educated woman and author. She went on to win the Sahitya Kala Akademi award in 1976 and the Padma Shri for Literature the same year.

“MK Binodini was Manipur’s Jahanara. Like Jahanara, she was a privileged princess. She was educated, she wrote and was published. And like Jahanara she loved her father dearly and stayed with him at his time of isolation till the end,’’ says Roy. This book was her last published work. She was the daughter of Maharaja Churachand Singh (1891-1941) and his queen Maharani Dhanamanjuri Devi. Princess Binodini was the youngest of five daughters from this queen (her father had an elder queen) and her book begins in 1891 when the Maharaja was still a boy and Manipur was Britain’s last acquisition. The book straddles the dual worlds of Manipuri tradition and modernity — of palace events, equestrian sports on one hand, and the building of Manipur and resistance towards the British, on the other.

There are stories about the royal staff, the tailors, the ironers, the coal workers, the soldiers’ wives who came, the hangers-on and the wet-nurses. Traditions, unique to Manipur, come alive in the pages. For instance, the bridal procession of a princess, which is headed not by the queen mother but the wet-nurse or the maid. She sits on a phiranji or a patch of red velvet usually reserved for royalty in the kingdom and has her own palanquin and brings the princess bride to her new home.

After Roy’s coaxing in 1992, on a visit to New York, Binodini Devi began writing her stories as a column in a Manipuri newspaper Poknapham. “The book is essentially a compilation of these essays,” says Roy, who has translated the book into English. A film curator in New York, Roy has now started a trust called Imasi, which preserves and promotes his mother’s art and the culture of Manipur.

Manipuri Officer To Unfurl Tricolor

Imphal, Jan 26 : A young Manipuri woman officer, Lieutenant Haobam Bella Devi, will conduct one of the most important and prestigious activities during the Republic Day parade — unfurling the national flag — at Rajpath in New Delhi on Monday.

The act will be done in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee, PM Narendra Modi and the chief guest on the occasion, US President Barak Obama, among other distinguished personalities.

"When the President along with chief guest has been seated, the CO of the President's bodyguard gives command for salute. Right after that, the national flag is unfurled and national anthem is played along with a 21-gun salute," said a defence statement.

"Lieutenant Haobam Bella Devi of Ordnance Corps has been assigned the duty this year. Lt Haobam Bella Devi, a second generation army officer, is the daughter of Col H G Singh (Retd), of Top Leikei, Singjamei, Imphal," said the statement issued by Lt Col Ajay Sharma, PRO defence (Imphal).

Another Manipur officer Colonel Nameirakpam Romeo Singh, will be awarded the coveted Sena Medal (Distinguished) on Republic Day for his devotion to duty and successful command of Unit 2 Rajput (Kalichindi) in counter insurgency operations. tnn

Court Rejects Attempt to Suicide Charge Against Irom Sharmila

By Alok Pandey

Irom Sharmila

Imphal, Jan 22 :  For the second time within a year, a court in Manipur's Imphal has ruled that activist Irom Sharmila is not trying to commit suicide through her indefinite fast against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA. The latest court order in her favour means that Irom Sharmila will be released from judicial custody; she has been confined to a room at a government hospital in Imphal for the last 15 years.

The Imphal court today refused to accept the Manipur Police's chargesheet over a 2014 case, charging her with an attempt to commit suicide

On August 19 last year, a court in Imphal, while ruling on a case lodged against the activist way back in 2000, had ordered that she be released from custody. The court had also observed that the Manipur government and the police had "failed miserably" to demonstrate that she had intended to commit suicide through fasting.

Just three days after her release, the Manipur Police re-arrested Irom Sharmila and charged her with another case of attempted suicide. She was also charged under Section 353 of the Indian penal Code, for stopping a public servant from performing his duty, was also brought in.

Today, the court dismissed both the charges.

An anguished Sharmila told the judge today, "I am tired of this cycle of release and re-arrest. Please put my case to trial once and for all. Let the case be decided".

Babloo Loitongbam, an activist from Imphal and part of the Save Sharmila campaign, says, "She has been released by the court. All of us value her liberty and we hope she will not be criminalised further."

Neither the Manipur government nor the police have reacted on the court's verdict yet.

Manipur Director General of Police Shahid Ahmad told NDTV over the phone that he would only be able to speak later this evening.

Dog-Bite Toll Rises in Manipur

By Khelen Thokchom

Imphal, Jan 20 : The dog-bite death toll in Churachandpur district increased to 13 as the fear of rabies spread to Imphal East and Thoubal too with similar cases being reported from these districts.

Andro MLA Th. Shyamkumar Singh said a 13-year-old boy, Ahongsangbam Angousana of his constituency which covers Imphal East district, died yesterday after being bitten by a dog some days ago.

Shyamkumar said the boy's death had triggered the fear of rabies in Imphal East and urged the authorities to take precautionary measures in the district as well.

The Churachandpur district monitoring cell of the medical directorate today said a six-year-old boy, Pauzakham, who was bitten by a dog some days ago died yesterday after four days of treatment at the district hospital.

The monitoring cell also received delayed information of the death of a 10-year-old boy, Letminthang Haokip, on January 9. He was bitten by a dog in October last year.

According to the cell, seven dog bite victims died last year while four died this month.

Dog-bite victims continued to pour into the district hospital of Churachandpur, official sources said.

The state government sent blood samples of two of the dog-bite victims to a Mumbai-based laboratory on Saturday for confirmation of rabies. The result is yet to come.

Official sources said four stray dogs have been caught since October last year by the Churachandpur district administration.

The total number of people given anti-rabies shot has been put at 304 since October last year. More than 3,400 dogs have been vaccinated.

Manipur health director O. Ibomcha Singh today toured Thoubal district following reports of dog bites to check preparedness of health centres in the district.

Official sources said 15 cases of dog bite were reported in Thoubal district.

Vehicles Damaged During Bandh in Manipur

Imphal, Jan 20 : Bandh supporters damaged several vehicles in Hatta area in Imphal East Monday during the 24-hour state wide strike call given by the joint action committee (JAC) demanding justice in the death of Md Firoz Khan.

But the strike that began from 6 am was called off following an agreement between the JAC and Agriculture minister Md Abdul Nasir.Traffic movement along Checkon-Hatta road in Imphal East was seriously disrupted due to the strike. A large number of bandh supporters damaged several vehicles while enforcing the strike along the Hatta road. Norma life in Hatta, was paralysed due to the strike.

Police used tear gas and fired rubber bullets at hundreds of demonstrators in Hatta area.

Earlier, the JAC called a 24-hour bandh along Imphal-Moreh road over the death of Md Firoz. In Lilong area in Thoubal district, strike supporters blocked the National- Highway-2 section since morning. The road blockade was supported by the Manipur Muslim Council (MMC).

Md Firoz, a father of four, was found death on the night of January 15 at Khangabok Keithel in Thoubal district.
The JAC has been insisting that Md Firoz was brutally murdered. It has demanded a CBI probe into the killing.

Newmai News Network

Survey on For Imphal-Mandalay Bus Service

Imphal, Jan 13 : The proposed Imphal-Mandalay bus service took its first step towards reality with the start of the field survey of the 579-km road by a joint team from India and Myanmar on Monday.

Of the total length of the road, the Imphal-Moreh section of NH-39 is 110 km, while on the Myanmarese side, the distance between Moreh and Mandalay via Tamu town is 469 km. According to an earlier MoU signed between the two countries, passengers of the Imphal-Mandalay bus service should possess valid passports. The passengers may be granted a single-entry visa with a validity of 28 days on arrival at Tamu in Myanmar and Moreh in Manipur. The visas would be granted by immigration officials of either India or Myanmar depending on which direction the passengers are travelling. Tickets would be issued only to Indian and Myanmarese nationals with valid travel documents.

An official said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Myanmar has boosted the neighouring country's response to an earlier draft report on the bus service by New Delhi. India and Myanmar had held an inter-ministerial technical meeting at Nay Pyi Taw in June last year.

A comprehensive proposal for introduction of the bus service was initially submitted to the DoNER ministry and ministry of road transport and highways in June 2009 by the Manipur government. About 20,000 Manipuri Meities live in and around Mandalay.

An official said the joint inspection team, which left Imphal on Monday, will assess all requirements of the bus service along the stretch.

The 10-member Myanmarese team includes superintending engineer of public works of ministry of construction of Sagaing Region U Tang Toe Aung and officials of the traffic police force and ministry of rail transport. The Indian team includes officials of the ministry of external affairs, road transport and highways and Manipur public works and transport departments.

Manipur transport secretary M Laxmikumar said the Indian team, after returning to Imphal, will submit its report to the Centre for signing a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar.

Manipur Encounters: Burying the Truth

By Sreenivasan Jain

In 2013, a Supreme Court-appointed commission of inquiry found six encounters to be fake

Imphal:  In an overgrown field outside Manipur's capital, Basanta Nameirakpam points to the spot where his son, Nobo, lies buried. The 27-year-old was killed in an encounter by a joint team of Manipur police commandos and Assam Rifles in April, 2009. His cousin, Gobind, was also shot dead that evening. Ordinarily the two men would have been cremated, but they have been buried should the need arise to exhume their bodies, as proof against their killers.

In March 2013, a Supreme Court-appointed commission of inquiry found six encounters, including Gobind and Nobo's, to be fake. Its report, authored by Justice Santosh Hegde, noted that the incidents were "egregious examples of AFSPA's (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) gross abuse" in the state. The Court was acting on a petition filed in 2012 by the families of encounter victims and a Manipur-based human rights group.

During the inquiry, it was found that the security forces had acted on unreliable intelligence, if any, and the weapons seized appeared to be planted. There was no proof that Gobind and Nobo had ever been militants. Claims about retaliatory firing were also debunked. The two men were fired at 89 times, 16 of which hit Gobind alone, in breach of the court's guidelines on the use of force by the Indian Army.

"All the six encounters were actually out and out murder," Hegde told NDTV. "This was only a facade to show that it was an encounter."

In Manipur's bloody history, such unequivocal indictments of the armed forces have been rare. But, even attempts to probe the army's excesses have been denied. The Hegde commission could only learn that of the 66 complaints of human rights violations against the army since 2007, only 3 had been disposed of. The status of those cases wasn't revealed. Manipur Home Secretary, Suresh Babu, couldn't remember a single instance when the state had sought the union government's sanction to prosecute army jawans, as prescribed under AFSPA.

These circumstances, some say, have only perpetuated a culture of impunity, giving rise to fresh violence. "If you want to deal with the militancy, ensure that democratic institutions function," said Babloo Loitongbam, director of Human Rights Alert. "That is the core of people's anger."

In December 2014, two important court judgements further acknowledged that encounter killings were a reality in the state. The first was in the case of the Malom massacre in November 2000, which saw 10 people killed by soldiers from the 8th Assam Rifles. After an explosive was set off near their convoy, the Riflemen had gunned down bystanders at a bus stop outside Imphal town.  Massive unrest followed, giving birth to Manipur's best known voice against AFSPA, Irom Sharmila. A recent judgement by the Manipur High Court disproved the army's claims that they'd been fired upon and ordered compensation of Rs. 5 lakhs to each of the victim's families.

The second was the Supreme Court's order of compensation to the family of Thangjam Manorama. On a night in July 2004, Manorama had been dragged out of her home in Imphal East district and killed by a team from the 17th Assam Rifles. Upendra Singh, who led an inquiry immediately after the incident, accused the soldiers of brutally killing her in a fake encounter.

The probe itself, Singh told us, had been repeatedly stonewalled by the armed forces and the state. The Assam Rifles didn't reveal the names of the officers who conducted the operation. His summons, too, got no reply at first. "They appeared only after I issued warrant for arrest," Singh told NDTV. His report, submitted a few months later, was only made public last November, a decade after the killing.

Repeated attempts to get the Assam Rifles to comment were unsuccessful. A source in the unit told us that they have internal processes to ensure action against such violations. But, he did not specify if there was any in these cases, or what that action could entail.

The court verdicts have been met with both relief and bitterness in Manipur. Victims's families are disappointed that neither judgements speak of prosecuting the guilty army personnel.

Our source in the Assam Rifles also claimed that extrajudicial killings are an exception, but this remains contested in the absence of credible data. Activists allege over 1500 such killings since the 1970s, but the Supreme Court could only investigate 6 and the Manipur government has rejected the longer list.

Last year, insurgency related deaths in the state had reduced to 48, from 485 in 2008. This has been attributed to the courts' pronouncements on Malom and Manorama. Suresh Babu, the Home Secretary, said that the verdicts have also created an environment for insurgents to come back. After six decades of violent conflict, which has killed thousands, this relative peace could easily be shattered and the pleas for justice, if unaddressed, are potentially explosive.

Longest Railway Tunnel in Manipur

By Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, Nov 24 : The Tupul-Imphal Railway tunnel in the on-going Manipur railway project (Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal) could be the longest railway tunnel in the country, according to a spokesperson of the Northeast Frontier Railway (Construction Organisation), Guwahati.

“But it could be confirmed whether the tunnel would be the longest in the country only when the construction work is completed,” the spokesperson said over phone.

The Tupul-Imphal Railway tunnel (tunnel number 12) is presently projected as the longest tunnel (10.75 km) amongst 46 tunnels which will cover a total distance of 54.5 km on the 111 km-long new railway line in the State, according to reports.

The 11.2 km long Pir Panjal Railway tunnel which passes through the Pir Panjal Range of middle Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir which is a part of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project, is India’s longest railway tunnel. The tunnel has reduced the distance between Quazigund and Banihal. Till November 20 this year, as many as nine tunnels have been completed along Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal rail project covering more than 11 km in the new railway line, NF Railway sources added.

Interestingly, out of proposed 148 bridges including four tall, five major and 139 minor bridges, the proposed railway bridge (number 164) near the proposed Noney station along the railway line would be the tallest girder rail bridge in the world with a height of 141 metres.

The anticipated cost of the bridge which is expected to consume 5.1 lakh cement bags (2,55,000 quintals), 75,000 quintals of structural steel, 60,000 quintals of reinforced steel and 22,000 mild steel plates, is Rs 280 crore. At present, the tallest railway bridge is 139 metres high Malarijeka Viaduct in Montenegro in Europe. Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal railway line which is estimated to cost Rs 5,996 crores, is targeted to be completed by 2018 while the 84 km Jiribam-Tupul sector is projected for completion by mid-2016.