Affidavit Filed at Gauhati High Court In Three Hmar Youths Killing Case; Bodies Remain in SMCH Morgue

The death of the three Hmar youths in an alleged extrajudicial killing has taken a hit. There is a case of writ petition ongoing in the Gauhati High Court and the third hearing was on this Friday. At the same time, protests have erupted in not just Assam and Manipur but now Mizoram also. Last Monday, Hmars and Kuki tribal associations held a protest march in the Jiribam district of Manipur, condemning what they claim to be murder on the part of Cachar Police. Similar protests have erupted in the Hmarkhawlein and Haflong areas of Assam. Hmar and other tribal groups in Mizoram also protested their killing believing it to be an extra-judicial killing.

Assam Police maintains that the three Hmar youths, Lalbiekking Hma, Joshua Hmar and Lallungawi Hmar were arrested on July 16 from Ganganagar Part-VI, Krishnapur Road, under Kachudaram Police and were killed in a crossfire in Bhuban Pahar on the night of July 17. An FIR was filed and later a writ petition was filed at Gauhati High Court on July 23 seeking the arrest of the police personnel involved in their claimed “extra-judicial killing”.

Three hearings have been listed by the Gauhati High Court by the two-judge bench of Justice Kalyan Rai Surana and Justice Soumitra Saikia. The third hearing in the “Siemthang Hmar and 2 Others vs. The State of Assam and 6 Others” was on August 2. In today’s hearing the “affidavit in opposition” was filed by the Advocate General of Assam on behalf of the state.

In regards to the affidavit filed the court mentioned, “The court is of the opinion that sometime should be granted to the petitioners to go through it”. About the dead bodies still at the morgue of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, the court maintained the previous orders and said, “State and the SMCH, Silchar shall preserve the said dead bodies till passing of the further orders on the next date of listing”.

The next date of the hearing has been listed as August 7, Wednesday. As of now the dead bodies of the three deceased have been lying at the morgue of SMCH for the last 17 days.