Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO)
Press Statement 17- Sep -09
The agitation which began in Manipur following the disclosure in Tehelka of the damning photo sequence of the cold blooded killing of Ch Sanjit and pregnant woman Rabina Devi, the state government of Manipur has unleashed a terror campaign against protestors. Instead of heeding the voices of the people demanding that action be initiated against the government leader/s who sanctioned, as well as Manipur commandos who committed custodial killings, and that the culture of impunity be ended, there has been systematic crackdown on the protestors themselves. On the one hand eight members of the All Manipur United Clubs Organisation have been arrested, five of them booked under National Security Act and their offices raided and plundered. Manipur police has also arrested Y Jiten, joint secretary of Citizens Concerns on Dam and Development, which is spearheading a campaign against Tipaimukh project and charged him under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). On the other hand the state government along with Congress and CPI parties has also launched a campaign of calumny against Apunba Lup and spreading rumours about women protestors as well as members of local sports clubs and organizations.
These developments are fraught with danger and are designed to justify commission of crimes committed by the security and police forces and to incite violence, the very situation the government claims it wants to curb. We fear that is meant to legitimize and and perpetuate the state of impunity, which comes in so handy to throttle all legitimate forms of organized protest. We fear that young men and women of Manipur will once again become cannon fodder for the security forces to do what they like.
We, therefore, urge the state government to stop this crackdown and to make them appreciate that protesting against crimes of the state government, its police force or Indian security forces are not crushed by recourse to arbitrary actions. We strongly emphasise that this crackdown will only attenuate the rule of law instead of ending impunity which is of utmost urgency.
Co-ordinators (CDRO)
Asish Gupta (PUDR), Ningreichon (NPMHR), Kranti(APCLC)
Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO)
Association for Democratic Rights (AFDR, Punjab), Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC), Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR, West Bengal), Bandi Mukti Morcha (West Bengal), Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR, Mumbai), Coordination for Human Rights (COHR, Manipur), Human Rights Forum (HRF, Andhra), Lokshahi Hak Sangathana (LHS, Maharashtra), Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS, Assam), Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights (OPDR, Andhra), Peoples Committee for Human Rights (PCHR, Jammu and Kashmir), Peoples Democratic Forum (PDF, Karnataka) , PUCL Chhattisgarh, PUCL Jharkhand, PUCL Nagpur, PUCL Rajasthan, PUCL Tamilnadu,Peoples Union For Democratic Rights (PUDR, Delhi), Peoples Union for Human Rights (PUHR, Haryana).
This information is sent to e-pao.net by CPDM Manipur
The sender can be contacted at cpdmanipur[AT]gmail[DOTcom
This PR was webcasted on September 18, 2009.
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