Guwahati: The Gauhati high court has instructed the Assam government to hasten the chemical analysis report and finalize the investigation into the deaths of three Hmar youths, allegedly killed in an “extrajudicial killing” by Assam police on July 17.
The directive came from a division bench comprising Justice Kalyan Rai Surana and Justice Soumitra Saikia, who also ordered the preservation of the bodies of the deceased until August 02.
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The Assam government must submit its final report before the next hearing, scheduled for August 02.
“The court is of the view that since the post-mortem report’s opinion on the cause of death is pending until the chemical analysis report of viscera from the Directorate of Forensic Science (DFS), Assam, Kahilipara, is received, it is appropriate to direct the State to expedite this report and prepare the final cause of death report,” the court stated.
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The three deceased individuals, identified as Lallungawi Hmar (21), Lalbiekkung Hmar (33) and K Joshua Lalrinsang (35), were killed in an encounter with Assam police in the Bhubah Hills under the Lakhipur police station in Cachar district of Assam on July 17.
Their families filed an FIR on July 19, demanding an investigation into the incident, asserting that the men were not militants and their deaths were staged.
A writ petition was subsequently filed by Siemthang Hmar, Lalthavel Hmar and Lalchunghnung, claiming the youths were arrested on July 16 from Ganganagar Part-VI, Krishnapur Road, and were ‘extra judicially’ executed after being taken from Kachudharam police station on July 17.
The petitioners’ counsel called for the post-mortem examinations to be conducted by doctors from outside Assam.
The families of the deceased have sought an independent investigation by a senior police officer from outside Assam.
The killings sparked outrage among various Hmar civil society organizations and student bodies, who condemned the incidents as “fake encounters” orchestrated by Assam police.