Imphal, November 05: Many NGOs today demanded the immediate revocation of the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) and the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.The Centre for Organization Research & Education (CORE), Imphal today stated that the Ordinance represents yet another form of anti-human rights and repressive law.

The decision for promulgation is without convincing justification with significant records of failure on the part of the Central Government to demonstrate accountability and effectiveness of existing extraordinary legislations, such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, it stated.

Laws can never fight terrorism.

The existing legislations have already attracted wide public criticism and unanimous recommendations from international and national legal experts for their repeal.

Oppressive laws can never replace responsible Government and political propriety, it stated.

The organization also stated that such terribly obnoxious laws are racially discriminatory, smack of intolerance and perpetuate widespread perceptions that the peoples of this region have no voice nor will be ever heard.

All India Gorkha Students' Federation (AIGSF), Darjeeling today strongly protested against the NDA Government for its decision to enforce POTO.

Demanding a review of the Government decision, the student body expressed the apprehension that with the enforcement of POTO the atrocities of the security forces on the civilians will be increased.

The State unit CPI has also condemned the promulgation of POTO alleging that the NDA Government led by the "communal BJP" has been trying to gag the freedom of the press.

The decision of the unpopular NDA Government is another attempt of the BJP to prolong its rule in the country misusing the ordinance, it charged.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma has said that terrorism is the worst enemy of humanism.

He, however, said that his party is examining the requirement of enacting the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance to fight terrorism in the country.

The legal cell of the NCP is now studying all the provisions of the Ordinance.

The party will make its decision on the issue before the forthcoming winter session of the Parliament, Sangma said.

The Ordinance should not pose any threat against the people as all the North Eastern States have already suffered the tortures under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, he said.

The All Manipur Students Union expressed concern at the proposed awareness campaign on POTO to be conducted at educational institutions by a recently formed political party and urged the party concerned to refrain from such activities that could have far reaching negative implication on the institutions, according to a press release.

Comment