Families of Three Hmar Youths Killed in Cachar Crossfire File FIR, Allege False Encounter by Police

Silchar: Families of the three Hmar youths, who were killed in a crossfire between the Cachar police and a militant outfit, had lodged an FIR seeking justice. Claiming that their sons were law-abiding citizens, the family members alleged that the police had spinned up a fictitious story to hide the false encounter.

 On July 16, the Cachar police apprehended three Hmar youths from an auto rickshaw in the Ganga nagar area of Dholai’s Kachudaram. On the next day, early in the morning, the youths, identified as Lalunggai Hmar, Lalbikuing Hmar, and Joshua Hmar, reportedly sustained serious bullet injuries during a gun battle between the police and a Hmar militant outfit.

In a press briefing, SP Cachar Nomal Mahatta claimed that these three youths were cadres of the militant group. During interrogation, they confessed that other members of the outfit were hiding on the Bhuvan hill and that they were contemplating a major attack in Manipur. Mahatta further claimed that the apprehended youths took the police team to the hideouts of the militants on Tuesday at midnight, and as they reached the foothills of Bhuvan, the militants started spraying bullets at the police. During the gun battle, the youths, who were in bullet proof gear and helmets provided by the police themselves, sustained severe injuries and subsequently succumbed. Three policemen were also injured. Mahatta said they had seized a number of firearms, including two AK-series rifles.

 On Friday evening, Lalthavel Hmar, Lalremsang Hmar, fathers of Lalungui and Lalbinkuing, respectively, and Lalchunghung, elder brother of Joshua, lodged an FIR in Lakhipur police station. They claimed that all the three youths were innocent and had no past record of any criminal offences. They had absolutely no link with any militant outfit, as the FIR further pointed out. The bereaved families said that the police had neither informed them about the arrest nor about the killings and even asked them to take the dead bodies, which were until now in the morgue. Meanwhile, the Lakhipur police had forwarded the complaint to the Kachudaram police station as the incident happened under their jurisdiction.

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