Civil disobedience movement comes into effect
JCILPS to continue stir, TYCM claim refuted
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 30 2015: Condemning the State Government for not taking a concrete stand on the ILPS issue, Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) has said that they will carry on the ongoing agitation.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference held at the office of United Peoples' Front, Keishampat, JCILPS convener in-charge Ratan said that they have launched the civil disobedience movement from today.

At this critical time when people are raising a strong voice to save the indigenous people, 57 MLAs of the State have refused to admit the fact that non-Manipuris would outnumber the indigenous people in the near future.

People have lost faith in the present Government as their past records indicate that they are good in using delaying tactics.

However, JCILPS would never allow the Government to divert the issue through this tactic, he said.

Ratan alleged that the State Government had diverted the issue by stating that they are unable to fulfil the people's wish in a haste due to Constitutional obligations.

The stir underway

However, Government's promise to find an alternative means has taken too much time, he said.

Saying that the Constitution of India had already been amended on numerous occasions in the past, Ratan questioned why the Constitution cannot be amended to implement ILPS in the State.

Informing that civil disobedience movement which includes imposing public curfew in Government offices has begun from today, Ratan said that the ongoing agitation would continue until the Government fulfils the people's demand by any means.

Condemning the State Government for not keeping their promise to punish the police personnel responsible for Sapam Robinhood's death, Ratan said that Government's promises cannot be trusted anymore.

Saying that closure of educational institutes from July 9 has severely affected the academic atmosphere, Ratan urged the Government to open these institutes at the earliest.

He also urged the people and various CSOs, clubs and meira paibis who are taking part in the ongoing movement to thoroughly understand the objectives of the movement.

Ratan also appealed to the movement supporters to give free passage to media persons, medical staff and religious activities.

Meanwhile, JCILPS co-convener Haopou Kom refuted the claim made by Tribal Youth Council, Manipur (TYCM) that the hill people were not consulted for the ILPS movement.

He said that in the past two/three years, JCILPS had conducted a series of meeting with various organizations in which many tribal leaders had taken part.

"The ILP movement is not only for valley dwellers or just for a single community but for the entire indigenous people residing in Manipur," he stated.

Various tribal bodies have joined the movement on their own and none of them were forced to do it till date, he said.

TYCM secretary Lh Decemhring's statement that said blocking Dingku road has targeted a particular is totally wrong.

People of different communities are travelling on the road and there is no point of targeting a particular community, he said.

He further said that JCILPS has raised the issue of ILPS in the interest of the whole indigenous people of the State.