ATSUM condemns action by security forces
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, September 01 2015: All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) has strongly condemned the killing of innocent civilians and injuring many others in the course of random and indiscriminate firing in Churachandpur district for the two consecutive days.

In a statement, ATSUM Information and Publicity Secretary Mikah Kamei said ATSUM is a conglomeration of all the hill tribes of Manipur and the union was appalled and perturbed by the "unbecoming militarisation of State forces" in Churachandpur.

ATSUM expressed resentment against the incident in the strongest term and condemned "state sponsored terrorism" in which innocent civilians were killed and injured.

The union said it will continue to fight any oppressive force to crush genuine democratic expressions.

Violent incident occurred in Churachandpur District on August 31 and September 1 in the wake of the passing of controversial bills in the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31 .

"The social anarchy arising for, introduction of ILPS in Manipur vis-�-vis the mobility and policing of the state forces doesn't match when taken into consideration the furiousness and irresponsibility of the states forces", pointed out ATSUM.

Any undemocratic means perpetrated in the valley during the long course of the ILPS agitation in the valley had been either overlooked or unnoticed but the tribals in Churachandpur were furiously attacked by using live bullets as it is evident from the empty cases of bullets collected from the sites of the uprising, Maikah said.

ATSUM also lamented that all the tribal MLAs were brain-washed on the pretext that the two Bills had nothing to do with the Hills Areas.

"It is not that we are against the introduction of any Bill in the Assembly that benefits valley people but ours is simply to protect and safeguards the provisions enshrined under Article 371 C of the Constitution of India" .

Any bill that infringes or overlaps guaranteed rights is a doom, said ATSUM.

To this end, the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) has been made known by the union ahead of time, claimed ATSUM.

ATSUM has now demanded HAC to make their stance very clear or else they shall be held responsible for the entire calamity that befalls on the tribals.

Meanwhile, ATSUM has requested the Governor of Manipur to secure proper functioning of the HAC and also not to give his assent for approval of the Bills passed in the Assembly.

The union also called on all "tribal brethren" to rise up and stand firm.

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