The Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) on Tuesday had recommended the state government pay a compensation amount of Rs. 10,000 each to the president of Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) Manipur Kh Phajaton and its secretary T Shadishkanta for arresting them for “misusing” the power.
The MHRC recommendation comes in response to a complaint lodged by the two victims, who claimed that they were arbitrarily arrested by police on April 4, 2020. The victim further mentioned that they were also threatened to withdraw a press statement issued by them wherein they voiced their opinion that the proposed area for construction of a quarantine centre at Langthabal Phumlou Loukonb, Imphal West was not a wise choice as it was a paddy field as it would lead to violation of the Manipur State Conservation of Paddy and Wetland Act, 2014.
On February 9, 2022 the High Court of Manipur (in a Cril Petition No. 20 of 2020) have passed an order quashing the FIR lodged against the two individuals by terming it as “the registration of the subject FIR by the respondent is therefore nothing short of an abuse of power and cannot be sustained, both on technical grounds as well as on merits”, said the commission’s order.
In this regard, the commission had issued show-cause notice to the chief secretary, special secretary (Home) and the DGP, Manipur asking why the commission should not recommend payment of compensation to the two victims and submit it on or before March 23, 2022.
With the respondents failing to submit the report within the stipulated time without giving any explanation, the commission had recommended payment of the compensation amounts.
Stating that the state government may recover the said compensation amount from the arresting police officers, the commission directed the chief secretary to submit the action taken report within one month’s time.
