HC orders to preserve bodies amid alleged fake encounter by Assam police

Gauhati: Amid allegations of a fake encounter by Assam police, the Gauhati High Court on Friday ordered the preservation of the bodies of three Hmar men until the next hearing, pending the submission of the final post-mortem report by the state. The men, Joshua from Manipur’s Pherzawl district and Lallungawi Hmar and Lalbiekkung Hmar from Assam’s Cachar district, were killed on July 17 while in police custody.

Assam police claim the men, identified as militants, were killed during a crossfire in a "special operation" against other militants. However, the families of the deceased have contested this narrative, demanding an independent post-mortem by doctors from outside Assam, The Indian Express reported. Advocate General of Assam Devajit Saikia presented the preliminary post-mortem report from Silchar Medical College and Hospital to the High Court in a sealed cover. The court noted the absence of a final opinion on the cause of death, as the viscera report from the Directorate of Forensic Science was still pending.

Advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the petitioners, called for the post-mortem to be conducted by independent doctors, possibly from Mizoram, and requested a CBI investigation into the incident. He also presented videos allegedly showing the men in police custody, suggesting they were apprehended and subsequently killed, contradicting the police’s account of a crossfire. The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 2, during which the state is expected to submit the final post-mortem report and their affidavit-in-opposition.