Gauhati HC orders preservation of bodies of 3 Hmar ‘militants’ amidst fake encounter allegations
Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Friday directed that the bodies of three men from the Hmar community, identified by Assam Police as militants, must be preserved in a morgue until the next hearing, the bench passing the judgment amid serious allegations from the families of the deceased that the incident was a ‘staged encounter’.
The deceased, Joshua, Lallungawi Hmar, and Lalbiekkung Hmar, were killed on July 17 while in the custody of Cachar Police. The Assam Police have stated that the men, who had been apprehended on July 16 and involved in a ‘special operation’ against other militants, were killed in crossfire during the operation.
Advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the petitioners in court, requested that the post-mortem examination be performed by ‘independent doctors, possibly from Mizoram because it is close-by’, and has called for a CBI investigation into the case.
Advocate General of Assam Devajit Saikia submitted the post-mortem report from Silchar Medical College and Hospital to the High Court bench, consisting of Justice Kalyan Rai Surana and Justice Soumitra Saikia, in a sealed envelope as reported by The Indian Express. The bench noted that the cause of death as mentioned in the report was incomplete as the Directorate of Forensic Science was yet to submit the viscera report.
In light of this, the bench has instructed the state to file an affidavit-in-opposition before the next hearing on August 2, along with the final post-mortem examination report. Justice Surana said that the High Court would wait till the final report on the post-mortem examination is submitted, to decide on the removal of the bodies of the three deceased men from the morgue.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms lash parts of Uttarakhand; all districts put on high alert
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy rain and hailstorms accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, prompting the state administration to put all district authorities on high alert.
The sudden change in weather caused uprooted trees to block roads and disrupted power supply at various locations.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman chaired a review meeting with district officials to assess the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms at most places across all districts for Monday and Tuesday. Snowfall is expected in regions situated at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above.
An 'orange alert' remains in place for Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar. These districts are likely to witness isolated heavy rain, hailstorms, and intense to very intense spells of rain accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, the IMD said.
The weather office predicted that maximum temperatures across the state are likely to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next three to four days. During the past 24 hours, maximum temperatures remained "markedly below normal" in the plains and ranged from "markedly" to "appreciably" below normal in the hilly regions.
Dehradun experienced dark, overcast skies early Sunday, creating night-like conditions during morning hours. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average.
For the state capital, the forecast predicts a partly to generally cloudy sky with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of 19 degrees Celsius.
Significant rainfall was recorded across the state after 8.30 am on Sunday, with Jollygrant receiving 21.6 mm and Mohakampur recording 19.8 mm. Other areas, including Mukteshwar (15.0 mm), Mussoorie (13.4 mm), and Pithoragarh (8.5 mm), also saw measurable precipitation.
Secretary Suman directed officials to clear blocked roads on priority to ensure public convenience. Specific instructions were issued regarding the Char Dham Yatra, ordering that helicopter services must operate strictly according to weather conditions to ensure pilgrims' safety.
Isolated places in the remaining hilly districts are also expected to experience thunderstorms with lightning and intense rain spells.
