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

[Chan Mahanta]

Ram:



At 8:29 PM -0500 10/16/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>C'da
>
>  >D: ULFA made no pretenses about being a 'peaceful, democratic state
>  >       . They are armed insurgents committed to die and kill if need be in
>   >      the pursuit of their goal of liberating Assam to make IT a
>    >     peaceful, democratic state with the rule of law that Indian
>     >    occupation has denied Assam and its neighboring region.
>
>Would that give them the cover to kill innocent people (including 
>children). It is not as if the ulfa was only waging war against the 
>Indian army. They are now, in fact, extented that to include 
>civilians - be they connected to the Indian machinery or not.


*** For the sake of arguments, let me agree that everything you are 
charging here is in fact the truth and nothing but the truth. But how 
does that give he Indian army the license to go kill and maim 
innocent Oxomiyas, like the army had to fess up to in the news report 
you posted?

Are you suggesting, that since the ULFA is bad, they kill innocent 
people, so the Indian army has no choice but to have an open season 
on innocent Oxomiyas and continue to perpetrate the kind of brutality 
they  did on Ajit Mahanta or Saikia??

Is that India's 'liberal democracy' all about? Is that the kind of 
democracy Manmohan Singh sings the praises of and proclaims "There is 
nothing that cannot be resolved thru democracy?" And is AFSPA the 
standard-barer of that desi-demokrasy?


>Wouldn't have known if you hadn't told us. But they do make lofty 
>promises for >a sonor Oxom!

*** That was a sarcastic comment on my part Ram. It was to underscore 
the hypocrisy of desi-demokrasy which pegs its integrity and 
accountability on the rag-tag group of insurgents who never had a 
chance to help establish the institutions of state and a rule of law 
that India has flouted since the beginning of desi-time in Assam :-).


>One thing is certain, the army problem wouldn't exist, if the ulfa 
>wasn't >running loose.

*** Really? Try telling that to the Sentinel, which told quite 
clearly how the Indian army had used the NE as its very own private 
fiefdom long before ULFA came to be, and thus helped spawn ULFA.


>Given the bad experience with armymen running loose in the 
>countryside and >their wanton killings (from what you tell us),


*** I tell you that Ram ? That is from your favorite newspaper :-). 
Anyway, you don't have to listen to anything I say or the Sentinel 
writes about. What is YOUR assessment of it? What do YOU believe?


>wouldn't it then be prudent for the ULFA, which claims to be the 
>savior of the >Assamese to seek some peaceful solution or 
>alternatively, just give up.

*** Of course it would be Ram. Why should the Indian army or the 
Indian Owners  the NE people's lands and its inhabitants relent? 
After all, they are their colony ain't it,  handed down as India's 
'poitrik-xompotty' ( ancestral inheritance)?

But the experience of a quarter century tells me that such wishes are 
not very realistic. What do you think? Is it going to happen? And 
failing which it would justify the Indian army's open season on its 
people?


>I know, this sounds harsh, but if the ulfa is claiming to save 
>Assam, shouldn't >Assamese lives be very important to them (ie. 
>being killed by the Indian army, >as you say).

*** No doubt such an attempt at blackmailing would help those whose 
aim is to keep Assam safe to be exploited by India. But what are the 
chances of that happening?


>Whatever the struggles and aspirations, can Assam afford a zero-sum game?

*** Question is HOW India, the beacon of 'liberal-democracy', could 
even think of using the people of Assam as pawns, as expendable 
sacrifices, in its quest to hold on to the real-estate of Assam, to 
hell with the people that calls it home?

Can you explain that Ram :-)?

c-da





>
>Sorry, C'da - they are NOT the idealistic 'freedom seekers' any 
>more. Their actions speak a lot more. Now, very few know what they 
>are actually fighting for. To think that they are fighting for an 
>Assamese homeland is a far-fetched as it can be.
>
>  > A: I don't know that ULFA has been running a 'liberal democratic'
>  >       government, waving the banners of the rule of law.
>
>Wouldn't have known if you hadn't told us. But they do make lofty 
>promises for a sonor Oxom!
>
>  > Finally, if the Indian state cannot do any better than what is
>  >       conveniently attributed to ULFA, why do you folks hold it up as
>   >      the epitome of virtue, while  demonizing ULFA ? Isn't that, at the
>    >     very least, demeaning to your deity ?
>
>No one is holding up the Indian army as virtuous. One thing is 
>certain, the army problem wouldn't exist, if the ulfa wasn't running 
>loose. As bad as you make them out to be, there are cases when they 
>are brought to book when they go haywire.
>Given the bad experience with armymen running loose in the 
>countryside and their wanton killings (from what you tell us), 
>wouldn't it then be prudent for the ULFA, which claims to be the 
>savior of the Assamese to seek some peaceful solution or 
>alternatively, just give up. I know, this sounds harsh, but if the 
>ulfa is claiming to save Assam, shouldn't Assamese lives be very 
>important to them (ie. being killed by the Indian army, as you say).
>Whatever the struggles and aspirations, can Assam afford a zero-sum game?
>
>--Ram
>
>
>
>
>
>
>On 10/16/06, Chan Mahanta 
><<mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>Ram:
>
>
>
>>Agreed - but have we seen any gestures by the ulfa for compensating 
>>the families of all they killed over the years. Now, they have 
>>learned a new trick - just deny they had anything to do with any or 
>>all killings or extortions.
>>
>That, obviously absolves them of all the mayhem that is going around in Assam.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>*** There are a few teeny little differences, if you have missed:
>
>
>         A: I don't know that ULFA has been running a 'liberal democratic'
>         government, waving the banners of the rule of law. The ULFA 
>was a result
>         of, among other things, the same flouting of the rule of law by the
>         Indian state, that they claim to have cornered the market on.
>
>
>         B: If the ULFA  denies their misdeeds, that must make them unique.
>         Certainly the Indian state, flying the flag of a democratic state,
>         could not teach them anything, with their truthfulness and
>         integrity, could they?
>
>
>         C: If you missed it, none other than the Sentinel editorial of this
>         morning, pointed out how the Indian state flouted the most fundamental
>         of democratic norms in the NE, long before the ULFA was a glint in
>         someone's eyes.
>
>
>         D: ULFA made no pretenses about being a 'peaceful, democratic state
>         . They are armed insurgents committed to die and kill if need be in
>         the pursuit of their goal of liberating Assam to make IT a
>         peaceful, democratic state with the rule of law that Indian
>         occupation has denied Assam and its neighboring region. You 
>or I may not
>         subscribe to ULFA's methods, but to equate the Indian military's long
>         track record of shooting civilians down like cats and dogs, merely
>         on the whim of even the lowest of its ranks, in far greater numbers
>         than ULFA ever could, is a tad bit disingenuous , wouldn't you
>         agree ?
>
>
>         E: Finally, if the Indian state cannot do any better than what is
>         conveniently attributed to ULFA, why do you folks hold it up as
>         the epitome of virtue, while  demonizing ULFA ? Isn't that, at the
>         very least, demeaning to your deity ?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>c-da :-)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>At 1:19 PM -0500 10/16/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>
>>C'da,
>>
>
>
>  >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 :-)?
>
>
>
>Of course! I do that all the time:)
>
>
>
>  >Remember Kakpothar and Ajit Mahanta? And the thousands of >others 
>that were tortured, brutalized and shot down like 'cats and >dogs', 
>merely on suspicion?
>
>
>
>Yes, and no one condones those (or even make excuses). But since we 
>are finger-pointing, you do of course remember all the ulfa killings 
>and extortions - even as recent as a few days ago in Dhemaji, and 
>yesterday a trader's son shot 'cause he wouldn't pay up. The ulfa 
>list is pretty long.
>
>
>
>But one doesn't see the same vociferous condemnations from ulfa 
>supporters. Innocent lives are just that - innocent. There can't be 
>excuses when the Ulfa does it and outright condemnation when the 
>army does it.
>
>
>
>  >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 ?
>
>
>
>Agreed - but have we seen any gestures by the ulfa for compensating 
>the families of all they killed over the years. Now, they have 
>learned a new trick - just deny they had anything to do with any or 
>all killings or extortions.
>
>That, obviously absolves them of all the mayhem that is going around in Assam.
>
>
>
>--Ram
>
>
>
>
>
>On 10/16/06, Chan Mahanta 
><<mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>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
>
>
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>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.
>
>
>
>
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