Newmai News Network
IMPHAL, June 3
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ore than a year after their daughter had joined an underground outfit, parents of Alice Kamei is experiencing a harrowing time with security force personnel allegedly harassing them.
Alice Kamei was just 16 years when she reportedly joined the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) on March 13, 2013. At that time, the parents of Alice Kamei had filed a missing report to the police. They also accused the underground outfit of abducting their daughter to join the militant organisation against her will.
One year down the line on April 6 midnight, seven security forces personnel entered Alice Kamei’s house at Nambol Isok Chingfu Kabui Khul of Bishenpur district and asked about the whereabouts of Alice Kamei to the family members. At the time, Alice Kamei’s father Chakri Tombi Kamei and her mother Sundari Kamei were sleeping in a room while her brother Boboi was sleeping in another room.Narrating the ordeal today before the media persons here, Chakri Tombi Kamei said the security personnel accused him of lying saying Alice had come home. When he refuted their version, the security forces personnel kept pressing him to disclose the whereabouts of Alice Kamei. Some of the jawans were also interrogating Alice’s brother Boboi in the other room at the same time.
The jawans told Chakri Tombi Kamei that Boboi had said Alice had come. The security forces personnel even threatened to take him away with them. When his wife Sundari cried, the jawans warned her too that she will also be taken away if she makes noise. The jawans then asked for Alice’s father’s phone number. When he was looking for his phone number, the jawans left the house. Boboi later told his father that he had also told the security personnel that Alice never came home again to their house ever since she left last year.
Again, on May 31 at around 3:30 pm while Chakri Tombi Kamei was repairing his cycle at Isok Bazar, Manipur police personnel, including a woman police personnel, came near him in four vehicles. They told him that Alice used to visit their house. The police asked for whereabouts of Alice and said she was at home at that moment. “I told them that ever since she left home, there was no more contact with her,” Chakri Tombi said.
Meanwhile, joining the press conference, Human Rights Alert (HRA) executive director Babloo Loitongbam appealed to the armed groups not to recruit minors into their fold saying it is against the international law. Babloo also said any child below 15 years should not be in the armed groups. Babloo Loitangbam said the security forces personnel coming to Alice Kamei’s house and harassing her parents is akin to encouraging Alice Kamei not to return from the militant outfit.
Manipur Alliance for Child Rights convenor A Pradipkumar urged the security forces personnel to immediately stop harassing and intimidating Alice Kamei’s family members. A Pradip Kumar said harassing the parents of Alice Kamei who had filed an FIR on the missing of their daughter is unfortunate. He also appealed to the various armed groups not to recruit children.
