IMPHAL, Sept 11 NNN : The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is 55 years old today and the people affected by this ‘black Act’ have come all along protesting for over half a century against the Act but the largest democracy in the world, India is unperturbed and callous.
The United Naga Council (UNC), Sharmila Kanba Lup (Save Sharmila Movement) and Just-Peace Foundation (JPF) today strongly advocated for the repeal of AFSPA.
“As an organisation, we also demand for the repeal of AFSPA at the earliest,” said UNC president L Adani while talking to NNN.
Meanwhile, Sharmila Kanba Lup, a movement supporting hunger striker Irom Sharmila has termed today, the September 11 as Black Day’.
On September 11, 1958, the AFSPA came into existence.
Women folks under the banner of Sharmila Kanba Lup carried out sit-in-protest today to mark the day near (JNIMS), Porompat in Imphal.
Also marking the occasion, Just Peace Foundation, Imphal questions the rationality of continuing imposition of AFSPA by the government for over half a century.
“In many parts of the North East India, the Act has been in operation for all these 55 years generating and invigorating this feeling of alienation,” said the Just Peace Foundation in a communique made available to the media houses today. It then pointed out several instances where numerous government constituted review committees on AFSPA going against the continuing of the Act.
The JPF cited the reports of the 2005 Committee to Review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, the Supreme Court appointed Santosh Hegde Commission and many others.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/55-long-years-under-afspa/
