The notoriety of Indian Reserve Battalion’s brutality and their disregard for human rights requires a serious attention and deliberation. My encounter with the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) not only confirmed their insensitive performance but has also left a nightmarish memory compelling me to share the incident as a way of condemning the institution.
My youngest son had just been brutally beaten unconscious by a group of people. My husband and two of my older sons were not at home; they were on a journey from Zunheboto, so I rushed to the spot along with my other young sons who had outrun me. One of my sons held my child while the others ran after the perpetrators towards New Market. As I was taking him to the hospital I saw that a group of IRB personnel had caught my other sons and had them kneeling on the ground, their guns pointed at them – one even ready to start beating them with the rifle butt. I held my injured child in my arms, his blood soaking me through and through as I desperately tried to wake him up. In that horrifying moment, seeing my other sons in that situation I raised my hands and shouted as loudly as I could to the IRB personnel not to beat them. They would not listen to me, nor did they allow my sons to explain their situation so I sent their (my sons) aunt to stop them. She cried and pleaded in vain. Fortunately I saw two IRB personnel passing by, I showed them my blood soaked unconscious child and explained the situation and asked them to stop the others from harming my sons and rushed to the hospital hoping they would not manhandle or harm my sons.
It was not to be. Instead, I later found out that they refused to let my sons go. I was also told they even went to the extent of pointing their guns at them and loading it threatening to shoot. They abused, manhandled and handcuffed them. While they were being taken to the lockup one of their uncles tried to rescue them by handing over his ID card and explaining the situation. Yet, the IRB personnel took a very long time to let free my sons who were already traumatized and angry.
Indian Reserve Battalion, I a grieving traumatized mother ask you, where were you when the miscreants were brutally beating up my young child? You instead decided to get hold of my devastated and angry sons and refused to let them speak up. You would not listen to the shouts and cries of a mother who was holding her dying child in her arms, nor the tearful pleas of an aunt.
I expect you to be more responsible and sensitive towards the general public whom you are obligated to protect. I wish you would be more patient and ascertain the facts before resorting to violent actions.
