Imphal, August 18: Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU) today rapped Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh for his alleged double standard in making appeal to the people for maintaining peace while giving free hands to the security forces in curtailing the democratic rights of the people.

In a statement, MUSU president IT Ashirjit Luwang asserted that the people are demanding lifting of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act so that they could live peacefully and without any fear of their rights being violated.

But the Government and its law enforcing machinaries, specially the security forces are using force on the people who are protesting such excesses.

It is the democratic rights of the people to raise their voice against human rights violation and atrocities, but the State Government and its law enforcing agencies are out to suppress the voice of the angry people with force, Ashirjit lamented.

Reacting to Chief Minister's assertion that he would remove the Act instantly if there is any organization which could take the responsibility for its consequence, MUSU president denounced it as a childish remarked.

The very fact that the people of Manipur are revolting against prolonged imposition of Armed Forces Special Powers Act is that they want to live in peace without any fear of their rights being violated by the security personnel with immunity granted under the repressive Act, and this fact should sink into the head of the Chief Minister, Ashirjit said.

As for maintenance of law and order in the State it is the duty of the Government and this fact need not be reminded to the Chief Minister, he added.

MUSU president further said lifting of the Act from Imphal Municipal area alone would not be able to placate the people in contrary to what the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers might have thought.

Paying tributes those who have sacrificed their lives and suffered injuries for the cause of lifting the Act, the students' body also held the present SPF Government responsible for the turmoil, loss of human lives and Suffering of the people.

In the same tone, All Manipur Scheduled Caste Student's Union has also said that India Government and the State Government should be held squarely responsible for the death of Pebam Chittaranjan Mangang who self immolated himself demanding complete revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from Manipur.

Such unfortunate incident would have never occurred if the Central and the State leaders have acted in accordance to the wishes of the people, joint secretary of the students' body said in a release.

Uchekon Youth Volunteers' Organisation while not ruling out the possibility of more people coming out to follow the path shown by Pebam Chittaranjan and Konjenbam Memita, called upon the people's representatives to wake up and start acting before it is too late.

The organisations also hailed the sacrificial spirit of Chittaranjan and Memita and paid homage to them.

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