[Reader-list] afspa

[Yengkhom Jilangamba]

LATEST UPADTE
The demonstration was successfully organized. Students
blocked the ring road. Demonstrators were lathi
charged and dispersed. Many received injury and about
70 students were lathi charged and arrested. All this
happened around 1.30 P.M

PRESS RELEASE

Repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958

Manipur Students’ Association, Delhi, in association
with civil societies operating in Delhi organized a
mass demonstration demanding the repeal of the Armed
Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA) from Manipur
and other North Eastern states on 11th October 2006 at
ITO traffic point, New Delhi. The rally, attended by
hundreds of students from Northeast (particularly from
Manipur), representatives of various civil societies,
human right activists and rights conscious individuals
etc took part in the demonstration. Demonstrators
raised banners, hold placards and raised slogans that
condemned suspension of democratic rights, violation
of human rights and military response of the
government in dealing with the political issues in the
Northeast.

The mass demonstration organized today is in response
to the prevalence of the systematic pattern of
violations and abuses unleashed by the state under
emergency legislations and the long standing issues of
impunity and denial of justice to the people of North
East. Specifically the demonstration sought to extend
solidarity and support to the ongoing democratic
struggle of Miss Irom Sharmila to end state terrorism
in Manipur. Miss Irom Sharmila has been on hunger
strike since Nov 2000 demanding the repeal of the
Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958, as an immediate
response to the Malom Massacre (Manipur) of 2nd Nov
2000 when the Assam Rifles massacred 10 innocent
civilians, including women and children, and
assaulting more than 64 civilians. She was arbitrarily
arrested on the charge of attempted suicide and has
been forced fed in custody. She reached Delhi on 4th
October and continued her hunger strike at Janter
Mantar. She was arbitrarily arrested by the Delhi
Police on 6th October 2006 and she continues her
strike in custody.

The people of North East has long been questioning the
rationality of AFSPA and protesting it since its
inception in 1958. Articles 4 and 6 of the Armed
Forces Special Powers’ Act 1958 empowers the armed
forces of India to operate with special powers,
including to suspend right to life without judicial
remedy and as such cases of custodial killing,
torturing, sexual harassment, unwarranted search,
involuntary disappearance perpetrated by armed forces
went unabated.  In short, the AFSPA undermines the
democratic rights of the people in the Northeast to
decide their own political future and the armed forces
operating under the Act created war hysteria.

The mass demonstration constituted yet another
expression of anger and discerning voices against
human rights violations and injustices under the
objective conditions of state terrorism in India in
confronting the insurgents in Manipur. MSAD fully
acknowledges the multi-national character of the
Indian sub-continent and firmly believes that the
democratic issues raised by the nationalities to
defend their national and democratic rights cannot be
suppressed through undemocratic military tactics and
responses. The nationality question in the Indian
sub-continent being political issue, MSAD believes
that investing the military to deal with such
political issues culminates in state sponsored
terrorism in the Northeast. 

MSAD, on this occasion of the mass demonstration,
fully condemned the AFSPA and demanded:  

* Immediate Repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers
Act, 1958. 
* Make the Justice Reddy Review Committee Report on
AFSPA, 1958, public.
* Refrain from retaining AFSPA in any form.


Released and circulated by the Manipur Students’
Association Delhi

Dated: 11th October 2006. E-mail add:
msad_manipur at yahoo.com



		
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