Manipur HC orders compensation to 'encounter' victim's family

The Manipur High Court has directed the Centre to pay compensation of Rs 7 lakh to the father of a victim of an "encounter" which took place in 2010 in the state.

A Division Bench comprising of acting Chief Justice N. Koreswor and Justice Kh. Nobin passed the order on Thursday.

Director of Human Rights Law Network Manipur, Meihoubam Rakesh, said: "On March 10, 2010, Hawaibam Amujao, a resident of Sekmaijin in Thoubal district had come to Imphal in a bus.

"He was accosted in the parking lot in Imphal East district by three plainclothes policemen. They shooed away the driver and the cleaner who tried to rescue Amujao."

Amujao was then whisked away in an auto-rickshaw after they had interrogated him for ten minutes, Rakesh said.

On March 18, 2010, a 28 Assam Rifles trooper had lodged a complaint stating that an encounter took place the same night at Takhok Mapan Leikai in Thoubal district, during which Amujao was killed.

Rakesh, who was the advocate for the victim, said that the family members were not satisfied with the report.

On November 13, 2013, the family filed a writ petition about the death of Amujao. Since then the Manipur High Court has been hearing the case.

The final hearing was held on Thursday, after which the order was passed. The order further said that the compensation amount should be paid within five months.

Human Rights organisations say there are 1,528 known cases of "fake encounters" in Manipur and these cases were submitted to the Supreme Court.

--IANS

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