Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 06:
Asserting that no draconian law which allows elimination of an individual without proper trial can be imposed in a democratic country, Working Committee Of the Apunba Lup has appealed to the public to come forward and boycott the members of the Review Committee who will be visiting some of the North Eastern States where the Armed Forces Special Power Act is imposed.
The Review committee team will be hearing the views of the public in Agartala on Feb 8, at Guwahati on Feb 9 and at Shillong on Feb 11.In a statement, the Lup's Publicity committee members Jotin Salam, RK Bhumi and Ch Premita, questioned whether it was legally possible in a democartic country to impose a draconian law like the AFSPA which permits killings without any proper trial.
The Centre by imposing such laws in the North East region has perfected the art of State Sponsored terrorism, added the Lup.
Questioning why the Central Govt was taking so long to lift the dreaded AFSPA from the North East region when POTA was lifted from other the parts of the country without any reviewing process, the Lup said that such attitude of the Central Govt is akin to treating the people of the North East as third class citizens of the country.
The statement further said that the Central Government's decision to review the AFSPA does not hold any logic as no individual or Government has the right to take away another persons' life.
The Indian Government's dream of building up a secure and peaceful Nation will never materialise as long as the people of the North East region are being trampled by the security forces under the dreaded AFSPA, asserted the Lup and further urged the people of the North East region to unite and counter the sinister designs of the Central Government.
Commenting on the upcoming visit of the Review committee members to some of the North Eastern States, the Lup cautioned the people to be on their toes as the Central leaders were trying to fool the public by sympathising to the demands of the people where as in reality the leaders are trying to wipe out the North east people from the region.
Stating that the Government had provided a six months period for reviewing AFSPA so as to let the public agitation have its own natural death, Lup said that there was no reason why the public should welcome the AFSPA review committee which had been constituted with the primary objective of suppressing the people's movement against AFSPA rather than meeting the demands of the people.