Imphal, June 15 2009: Taking serious of the ever escalating rate of violence and killings in the State, Meira Paibis have launched a poster campaign against the disturbing trend.

Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, leaders of the Working Group of Meira Paibi Movement said that the wall poster campaign was launched to check harassment and killings perpetrated by security forces including police commandos without conducting any trial.

The Working Group of Meira Paibi Movement is constituted by the Poirei Leimarol Meira paibi Apunba Manipur, Meira Paibi Welfare Association Kangleipak, All Manipur Women's Voluntary Association and 25 other Meira Paibi organisations working at district and local levels.

The poster campaign launched on May 29 has so far covered 20 different places including Khurai, Uripok, Khwairamband Keithel, Keishampat, Kwakeithel, Sagolband, Tera Naoremthong and Iroishemba, the Meira Paibi leaders said.

The main slogans highlighted in the poster campaign are "Stop State terrorism", "Respect right to live", "Stop oppression", "Stop extra-judicial killing", "Uphold dignity of women" etc.

The second phase of the poster campaign would be launched in other parts of Manipur on June 19, they said.

In spite of the public outcry against extra-judicial killings allegedly perpetrated by security forces including police commandos, the rate of such killings has been rising.

Accusing security forces of dubbing innocent civilians as UG cadres after killing them in fake encounters, the Meira Paibi leaders disclosed that the poster campaign was launched unable to witness the continuous slaying of male population of Manipur.

ST issues discussed: An official team of National Commission for Schedule Tribes led by its Chairperson Urmila Singh which arrived here today on a three-day visit held a joint meeting with the top Civil and Police officials of the State at the conference hall of Secretariat.

Issues related to existing system of education, health, forestry, water supply, rehabilitation and irrigation in tribal inhabited areas of the State as well as tribal reservation were deliberated during the meeting.

From the side of the Commission, emphasis had been laid on more coaching programmes and literacy identification in the domain of education.

The meeting had also discussed issues related to security protection in the hill area.

After the meeting, the Commission official visited Kangla and Tribal Research Institute at Chingmeirong.