'No justice' in India woman death

Authorities alleged Manorama Devi had links with militants

The US-based Human Rights Watch says the Indian authorities have failed to provide justice in the case of alleged rape and killing of a woman in 2004.

Thangjam Manorama Devi was arrested from her home in the north-eastern Manipur state by paramilitary troops.

A few hours later her bullet-riddled body was found by the roadside. The killing led to unprecedented protests.

The authorities say Manorama had links with an insurgent group fighting against the Indian rule in Manipur.

Her friends and family deny the accusation.

'Failed to deliver'

"After Manorama was killed, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Manipur and promised an investigation. He said that the guilty would be punished," Meenakshi Ganguly, senior HRW researcher, told the BBC.

"But he failed to deliver on his promise and justice was never done," she says.

Her killing led to massive protests in Manipur

In a new report released in the Indian capital Delhi on Monday, the Human Rights Watch details "the failure of justice in the killing and possible rape of alleged militant Thangjam Manorama Devi by the paramilitary Assam Rifles in 2004".

"Repeated attempts to identify and punish those responsible for her death have been stalled by the army," the report says.

Ms Ganguly says when the guilty are punished, that works as a deterrent, "but in the absence of justice, you see a perpetuation of the crime".

"In the years since Manorama Devi was killed, there have been many other cases of human rights violations by security forces in Manipur," she says.

The report calls on the Indian government to "fully prosecute army, paramilitary, and police personnel responsible for killings and torture in Manipur".

'Protecting abusers'

The report says the Indian government has failed to curb abuses like extra-judicial executions and torture by soldiers, paramilitaries, and police.

"Security forces are bypassing the law and killing people on suspicion that they are militants instead of bringing them before a judge," Ms Ganguly says.

"In the name of national security and armed forces morale, the state protects abusers and leaves Manipuris with no remedy to secure justice," she says.

Manipur is home to a dozen rebel groups - some fighting for the state's independence, others fighting for autonomous tribal homelands.

A large number of army and paramilitary troops are deployed there to fight the militants.

The armed forces in the state enjoy immunity from prosecution under the Armed Forces Special Powers' Act.

Human rights groups have long been demanding the repeal of what they describe as a "draconian law".