Anti-AFSPA rally taken out
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 02, 2013:
A protest rally cum public meeting held today at Patsoi assembly constituency has reiterated the demand for scrapping of the controversial Armed Forces' Special Powers Act 1958 from Manipur.
Organised jointly by Village Women Coordinating Committee, Conflict Widow Forum, Applied Biotech Farmers' Club, Salam Juvenile Club and various other civil society organisations, the protest march started from Yurembam Awang Leikai and ended at Salam village after covering Patsoi Bazar and Tharoijam areas.
Among others the public meeting convened at Salam village approved and backed recommendation of the Justice Jeevan Reddy Commission for replacing AFSPA 1958 with a more humane law, denounced imposition of black laws that contradicts democratic principles, rehabilitation programmes for AFSPA-affected victims/families and set up International Criminal Court branch in Manipur.
Social activists and human rights advocates, who addressed the gathering blamed continuous imposition of AFSPA for different forms of excesses, including rape and extra-judicial killing, perpetrated by the security forces against the people of Manipur.
The Government of India's defiance inspite of repeated calls by the international communities to repeal draconian laws/acts from the North East region, Manipur in particular, also came in for sharp and strong criticism from the speakers.