Northeast Desk, 18th July: The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) has denounced the Assam police for what they claim is a staged killing of three Hmar youths from the Kuki-Zo community. Lallungawi Hmar, Lalbiekkung Hmar, and Joshua Lalrinsang were apprehended peacefully while traveling in an autorickshaw in Assam’s Cachar district on July 16, 2024.
Video footage purportedly filmed by police shows the youths being detained and later transported to a secluded forest area. Their bodies, riddled with bullets, were discovered at Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) morgue, sparking outcry and raising doubts about the official police narrative.
According to police reports, the three youths were allegedly involved in a militant operation and were killed in a shootout at Bhuban Hills on July 17, 2024. However, post-mortem photographs contradicted this claim, revealing that the victims were the same individuals detained just a day earlier.
“This glaring inconsistency points to a case of extrajudicial killings,” stated an ITLF spokesperson. The Forum has demanded a thorough investigation by the state government and called upon the National Human Rights Commission to intervene, ensuring justice for the victims. Criticism has been directed at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his public support of the police actions.
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