Extra-judicial killing of Mr. Longjam Uttamkumar in Manipur

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in India.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Centre for Organisation Research & Education (CORE), a member of OMCT SOS-Torture network, about the extra-judicial killing of Mr. Longjam Uttamkumar, 34 years old sales executive resident in Keishamthong Longjam Leika, Imphal West, on 29 March 2008, by members of the Manipur Police Commandos in Imphal City, Manipur.

According to the information received, on 29 March 2008 at around 3.30 p.m., Mr. Longjam Uttamkumar got from work on his scooter (bearing registration no. 4952), when two armed individuals dressed in plain clothes, who had reportedly followed him, rushed towards him and allegedly, without saying a word, fired indiscriminately at him in the courtyard of his residence.

According to the same information, Mr. Longjam Uttamkumar, who was hit by the bullets in the upper and lower parts of his body, cried and ran, saying that he was innocent, but fell down just nearby the house of his uncle, Mr. Gyanendro, chased by an armed individual with a gun. After hearing the sound of the gun shots, his family, including his mother, Mrs. Meena, and his uncle, came out the house and witnessed the event. As Mr. Gyanendro tried to rush toward his wounded nephew, this latter was again reportedly shot twice. According to the information, Mrs. Meena also tried to intervene but the individual, who allegedly shot at Mr. Uttamkumar, threatened them with dire consequences, shooting three to four rounds in blank and forced them to return inside the house. Mrs. Meena reportedly peered through the window that another individual with a gun arrived on the spot, pulled out another gun and then, allegedly placed it beside the dead body. The individuals reportedly informed the family that they were members of Manipur Police Commandos.

According to the same information, the family members saw a Honda Activa bearing registration number 4042 parked at the gate and saw that one of the police commandos members took out a plastic bag and proceeded towards the site of the incident. After two to three minutes, a white car parked near the Honda Activa and after around 30 minutes, a police team in uniform reportedly came on the spot and allegedly seized a sum of Rs. 1, 50280, the scooter and one mobile handset from the deceased. The police reportedly later informed that they had drawn an FIR No. 99(3)08 Imphal Police under section 307 IPC & 25 (IB) Arms Act (attempt to murder and offence modification firearms without licence respectively). Police claimed that Mr. Uttamkumar had been killed in an encounter and that they had recovered money and a pistol from the body. During a meeting with representatives of a Joint Action Committee (a citizen’s group) on 30 March 2008, the Chief Minister of Manipur reportedly said that Mr. Uttamkumar had links with an UG group (an armed opposition group but not specified) and was guilty in many counts.

On 30 March 2008, Mr. Longjam Shanti, Mr. Uttamkumar’s father, filed a complaint with the Office in Charge at Imphal West Police and a memorandum was submitted by a Joint Action Committee to the Chief Minister urging for prompt legal actions to punish the perpetrators.

The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about the extra-judicial killing of Mr. Longjam Uttamkumar and more generally with the human rights situation prevailing in Manipur, as reports indicate that there is an increasing trend of extra-judicial killings, which mostly go unpunished. OMCT calls on the authorities to order a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of this extra-judicial killing, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law.

Action requested

Please right to the authorities in India urging them to:

1. Order a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the extra-judicial killing of Mr. Longjam Uttamkumar in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
2. Guarantee that adequate reparation is granted to the victim’s family;
3. Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards

Addresses

• Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President of India, Rastrapati Bhavan, New Delhi 110004, India, Fax: Fax: 91-11-23382365, 91-11-23711772
• Shri Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister’s Office, Room number 152, South Block, New Delhi, India, Fax: + 91 11 2301 6857
• Shri Shivraj Patil, Union Minister of Home Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, 104-107 North Block, New Delhi 110 001 India, Fax: +91 11 2309 2979.
• Justice K. G. Balkrishnan, Chief Justice of India, Supreme Court, Tilak Marg, New Delhi -1, Fax: +91 11 233 83792, Email: supremecourt@nic.in
• Justice Rajendra Babu, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of India, Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi 110 001, Tel: +91 11 230 74448, Fax: +91 11 2334 0016, Email: chairnhrc@nic.in
• Mr. Okram Ibobi Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur, Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Babupara, Imphal, Manipur, India, Fax: 91 385 222 1817, Email: cmmani@hub.nic.in
• Permanent Mission to the United Nations (Geneva), Rue du Valais 9, 1202 Geneva, Tel: +41 22 906 86 86, Fax: +41 22 906 86 96, Email: mission.india@ties.itu.int
• Embassy of India in Brussels, 217 Chaussée de Vleurgat, 1050 Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 (0)2 6489638 or +32 (0)2 6451869

Please also write to the embassies of India in your respective country.

Geneva, 04 April 2008.

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply