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Gauhati HC dismisses plea seeking probe into alleged custodial deaths of 3 Hmar men
The petition alleged that the three, who were arrested by the Cachar district police on July 16, were killed “in cold blood” by the Assam Police a day later
Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has dismissed a petition seeking a probe into the alleged custodial deaths of three men from the Hmar community in Assam in July last year.
The petition, filed in August 2024 by three family members of the deceased — Lalunggawi Hmar, Lalbiekung Hmar, and Joshua Lalringson — alleged that the three, who were arrested by the Cachar district police on July 16, were killed “in cold blood” by the Assam Police a day later.
Police said the three were arrested with weapons on July 16, after which they informed officers about additional arms meant for subversive activities along the Assam–Manipur border. The next day, police took them to recover the weapons when they were allegedly attacked by unidentified individuals. The three sustained injuries in the crossfire and died on their way to the hospital.
Following the deaths, Hmar groups from Assam and Manipur accused the police of staging the encounter.
In the petition, the family members of the deceased urged the High Court to order a probe by a senior police officer from outside Assam and direct the state government to pay ₹1 crore in compensation to each of the three youths’ families.
A high court bench comprising Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Susmita Phukan Khaund said on Monday that the matter is being investigated by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and a separate probe by the Hailakandi Additional Superintendent of Police had “re-endorsed” the police version of events.
“At this juncture, this court is of the opinion that it cannot be pre-empted that the investigating agency will conduct the investigation in a partisan manner and screen the police officials involved in extrajudicial killings,” the court said in its order, which HT has seen.
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“It would be advisable to the petitioners to await for the view of the NHRC. In the wake of the foregoing discussions, petition is hereby dismissed,” it added.
The court said that digital evidence and submissions like pen drives containing videos of the arrest and other details were “carefully considered,” but it was not clear if a charge sheet had been filed by the police in connection with the case or if the investigation was still underway.
“This court refrains from commenting on the digital evidence as the investigation is presumably still under progress,” the order read.
It said the petitioners were at liberty to file an appropriate application “if they are still aggrieved on the culmination of the aforementioned cases.”
