TURA, Aug 21 � A case of army high handedness has come to light when two Garo youths who were illegally detained by the army in Assam for 23 days were finally picked up by their family from Lakhipur police station in Goalpara district.
The two were picked up illegally on July 28 and released on August 19, a full 23 days after they were taken by the army. The two youths � Walnen Sangma and Babling Marak hailed from Chokpot and have been missing since July 28.
The two came to Tura yesterday and spoke of their ordeal and how they were taken by the army. Walnen said, �We were moving from Chibinang to Tikrikilla when a fast moving car approached us from the wrong side of the road. We lost control and fell down. The armymen inside the vehicle caught us and seized our vehicle. We were then blindfolded and took us to the Tikrikilla army camp. After a few hours, they moved us to Lakhipur army camp�.
Continuing on the ordeal, he said they were not allowed to contact their families. �We were forced to wear camouflage and often beaten up. They charged us that we were from the GNLA camp and threatened to get us arrested. They even put a gun on our lap and took photos. We are simple cashew traders, with no links to any militant group. Finally, on August 19, they moved us to Lakhipur thana in Assam and asked the police to make our families understand�, the youth narrated.
Meanwhile, the guardians of the victims had filed a missing report. The guardians said that they had also gone to the army camp in Lakhipur to enquire about the two, but were told that they had not picked up anybody. They demanded for a complete enquiry on the matter.
They alleged that the two youths were illegally detained and tortured by the Army personnel. The army was also bound to hand over any detained persons to the local police within 24 hours, they added.
