[Assam] Army admits to torture - IANS/Gulf News

[Chan Mahanta]

Ram:

Have you heard of the perpetual sinner who revels in sin six days of 
the week and on the seventh confesses and cleans his soul out, just 
to return to sin on Monday again :-)? Remember Kakpothar and Ajit 
Mahanta? And the thousands of others that were tortured, brutalized 
and shot down like 'cats and dogs', merely on suspicion?


This army's confessions backed up by the ever so generous Rs. 20,000 
compensation no doubt absolved the perpetrators of their crimes, and 
satisfied the urge for accountability of their democratically 
dedicated desi-defenders :-), but does it even come CLOSE to 
ACCOUNTABILITY ?

c-da










At 11:22 AM -0500 10/16/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>This is for folks who think that the army is never held accountable 
>for their actions.
>_______________________
>
>Published: 10/15/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)
>
>IANS
>
>
>Guwahati: The Indian Army engaged in anti-insurgency operations in 
>Assam is once again mired in a row over torture in custody of a 
>separatist suspect, forcing authorities to apologise and order a 
>court of inquiry.
>
>Hundreds of people on Friday blocked a highway for hours near 
>Khowang in Dibrugarh district, 450km east of here, protesting 
>alleged torture of a farmer, Nipul Saikia, after he was picked up by 
>soldiers from his house five days ago.
>
>"I think Saikia was not treated properly and so we have ordered a 
>court of inquiry. I would like to assure you that the guilty would 
>be punished," Major Gen N.C. Marwah, general-officer-commanding 
>(GOC) of the 2nd Mountain Division, said. Saikia was picked up from 
>his home on Monday on the suspicion of being a linkman of the 
>outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and was kept in 
>custody until Thursday before he was admitted to the Dibrugarh 
>Medical College with serious injuries.
>
>"Saikia was brought to hospital with rectal bleeding and his 
>condition was serious. The injuries were suffered probably due to 
>electric shocks," a doctor attending on him said, requesting 
>anonymity.
>
>The GOC visited Saikia at the hospital and tendered his personal 
>apologies to him for the incident.
>
>There were similar protests in the eastern Tinsukia district where 
>people in their hundreds took to the streets to protest the 
>detention of about 20 villagers, including women and children.
>
>The villagers were picked up by the army earlier in the week after 
>an explosion triggered by the ULFA injured a soldier in the area. 
>The army authorities on Friday released 10 women and children after 
>the protests.
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
>assam at assamnet.org
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.assamnet.org/pipermail/assam-assamnet.org/attachments/20061016/4f032761/attachment.htm>