Terming human rights situation in Manipur as "deeply depressing", NHRC today said it could not find any of the 44 encounters it took up as "genuine" and observed that while AFSPA "is made the villain" for extra judicial killings, majority of them are carried out by police.
Sharing the findings of its camp sittings, the rights body said that midday meal scheme, aaganwadi and hospitals were dysfunctional and no medicine was procured or distributed by the state government in the last one-and-a-half years.
"As substantial number of complaints regarding extra judicial killings come for Manipur, we took 44 cases in Imphal, of these 44, as if now we have been unable to close any case with a finding that the report given to us was true that this was a genuine encounter. We have been unable to make that finding so far in any of the case so far," Commission member Satyabrata Pal said.
Pal also pointed out that although Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which protests army personnel against prosecution is made the villain in extra judicial killings, most of the encounters are carried out by the police.
"They (police) enjoy the fullest protection of the state. To our knowledge, the state government has not taken action against any policemen," he said.
"We met Irom Sharmila (rights activist) and told her that you may be fighting a lone battle for repeal of AFSPA thinking that this would stop encounters but majority of the killings are done by police. AFSPA is notorious but I don't understand why the police do it," he said.
Pal said that the commission can only bring partial closure to the cases by recommending monetary relief while culprits go unpunished as no action against the armed forces can be taken due to AFSPA while the police are being protected by the state government.
