SC notices to Centre, Assam on 'secret killings'

It was claimed that children, their family and relatives were suspected to be active ULFA members and were killed.

The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre and the Assam Government on a PIL seeking CBI probe and prosecution of persons involved in the alleged 'secret killings' of 265 ULFA activists between 1998 and 2001.

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A Bench comprising Justice AR Lakshmanan and Justice Dalveer Bhandari admitted the petition filed by Aalok, an NGO, alleging that the State Government had joined hands with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Army to kill youth and family members of the Ultras.

Besides the Home and Defence Ministry, the NGO has named former Chief Minister Prafull Kumar Mahanta, the State Government and the Assam DGP as a respondent in the PIL.

Providing the list of the alleged victims, the NGO claimed that the young children and their family members and relatives were killed under the suspicion that they were active members of the ULFA.

The NGO further claimed that Mahanta, on January 20 in his party meeting, admitted that secret killings were carried during the year 1998 to 2001 under the instructions of Home Ministry.