Meeting discusses racial discrimination
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 28 2014 :
India must have an anti-racial discrimination Act as the country is a signatory of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, said Advocate W Basantakumar.
The Advocate expressed his views while speaking as a resource person in a meeting held on the topic, 'International humanatarian law and armed conflict in the context of Manipur' at Yagoi Ningthou Community Hall at Toubul in Bishnupur district.
The meeting was jointly organised by North East Dialogue Forum and United Development Association, Upathol.
Basantakumar alleged that India has been indulging in racial discrimination although the country had signed convention at the level of the United Nations.
Imposition of draconian AFSPA for the past 55 years in the North East States is also a type of racial discrimination, he added.
Saying that racial discrimination is still prevailing at different cities of India, Basantakumar added that the UN Racial Discrimination Committee had asked the Government of India to repeal AFSPA naming the Act as a racial discrimination Act in 2009 .
U Nobokishore said that deployment and operation of the Army is the testimony that the North East India is experiencing an undeclared war.
Police alone cannot maintain law and order in this region, he added.
Saying that around 3.5 lakh people, who were said to be insurgents, had been killed in the region, Nobokishore said that a person's status whether he is an insurgent or a common man must not be decided by the Army but by the Court.
Women Action for Development Secretary Sobita Mangsatabam and Social Scientist Dhanabir Laishram also spoke on racial discrimination and AFSPA at the meeting.