'Disappearance' in the human rights parlance, refers to the phenomena of abducting a person by agents of the State, and whose whereabouts are concealed and whose custody is denied by the authority.

Repressive regimes around the world have used 'disappearance' as a tool to silence the opposition. But the democratic Government of India have also deployed the same technique for similar ends in certain parts of the country.

Manipur, kept under an undeclared de-facto emergency situation for decades, is one such spot in India where the phenomena is endemic. Enforced disappearance in Manipur is closely linked to the counter insurgency operations adopted by the armed forces of the Union. It occurs in conjunction to other forms of gross human rights violations like illegal detention, torture, summary executions etc.

The armed forces, who enjoy impunity under the special laws, quickly 'wash their hands' after committing such heinous crimes and safely go to the next posting. But for the families of the victims, the agony of the uncertain fate of their dear ones continue to haunt them for years together. They cannot even go through the normal bereavement process that needs to be observed after the death of a family member.

Since the 80's, families of victims have been seeking redress from the law courts. In many cases, the judiciary helped in digging out the truth and have even provided interim reliefs in some cases. However, till date not a single family has been adequately compensated nor has any of the perpetrators been indicted or prosecuted.

The latest addition to the drama of 'judicial process' in Manipur is the disappearance of an inquiry report itself from the custody of the Court. On 28 January 2000, a Division Bench of the Gauhati High Court had to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate into the disappearance of the inquiry report submitted by the District and Sessions Judge, Imphal East in the disappearance case of one Bijoykumar.

As justice continues to be a far cry in the domestic law courts, families of the victims have started using the international human rights procedures including the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances in the late 90's. Concerted efforts to organize the families of the victims and to network with other fraternal organisations in other parts of the world is also on.

HRA stands in solidarity with the families of the disappeared in their struggle for truth, justice and reparation for the lost of their loved ones. HRA is however, fully aware that the journey has just begun!