A move too late, toothless
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 06 2015 -
The recent revelation of the former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram that the Defence Ministry headed by party colleague AK Antony and the Armed Forces blocked the move to repeal the “Draconian Act” Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) comes too late and useless after the regime headed by Narendra Modi had already rejected the recommendations of the Jeevan Reddy Commission to scrap the Act.
Political analysts and human rights activists over the years have been giving almost the same rational Chidambaram cited for repealing the Act which has no place in a civilized democratic order.
The former Union Home Minister and company at least tried to repeal the Act. And as expected it was the Defence Ministry headed by AK Antony and the army top brass and their influential coterie who threw a spanner in the works.
Chidambaram was quite truthful in stating that he was convinced AFSPA deserved to be repealed and this is a statement that the people of the regions where the Act has been imposed should appreciate even if such comments come a little late in the day.
However one should also note the fact that the defence ministry even without AK Antony would have gone ahead opposing the move to scrap the AFSPA.
As far as the “compromise formula” worked out is concerned, no one seems to be sure about its content but now we know the National Security Adviser and Chidambaram drafted the proposed “amendments” to the Act.
If one minutely reads the former Union Home Minister’s statement, it also becomes clear that the Centre under whosoever’s spell was in no mood to repeal the Act or make the same more “humane”.
With such moves either in the past or in the current context, the public at least are sure about why the Armed Forces want to perpetuate a colonial legacy in what is considered their “own territories.”
They also seem to be certain on why the same yardstick has not been applied elsewhere in the country despite mounting casualties inflicted on police and paramilitary forces in extreme left-winged induced violence.
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