NE civil society bodies join hand to fight AFSPA
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 11 2014: Nine civil society groups of North East States have decided to take up intensive mobilization of the people of the North East States to oppose controversial AFSPA by linking up with other people's movements in the region.

The decision was taken in a consultation meeting of these social bodies held at Guwahati today.

Representatives from Centre for Research and Advocacy, Human Rights Alert, Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti, WinG-India, North East Dialogue Forum, Borok People Human Rights Organisation, Barak Human Rights Protection Committee, People's Right to Information and Development Implementing Society of Mizoram, said a press release.

Among others, the meeting was attended by eminent personalities of the region like Prof Apurba Kumar Baruah, Advocate Bijon Mahajan, writer and social activist Kaka Iralu, Dr Prasenjit Biswas of NEHU, Human Rights Alert Executive Director Babloo Loitongbam, WinG-India member Anjuman Ara Begum and Prof Akhil Ranjan Dutta.

The meeting also resolved to constitute an NE platform for a broader coordination and coalition of various human rights groups, civil society groups and people's movements at both regional as well as national level by going beyond ethnic, tribal and community affiliations.

It also decided to lobby with the MPs from NE region as well as other sympathetic Parliamentarians to facilitate procedural and substantive actions regarding early repeal of AFPSA.

Delegates present at the meeting expressed concern over horrendous atrocities committed by the armed forces, including aerial bombing, forced grouping and re-grouping of villages, burning down of villages, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture and inhumane degrading treatment etc., under the impunity provided by the AFSPA.

They were outraged by the fact that rape and other forms of sexual violence have been used as an weapon of militarization under impunity provided by AFSPA.

They observed that AFSPA is increasingly used as a weapon to gag and subvert the democratic voices, raised against the unsustainable, predatory and anti-people mega dams and other development projects.

The delegates also stressed on the need to liberate the upcoming generations from the traumas inflicted by a militarized state.

Maintaining that various official Commissions and Committees set up by the Government of India had recommended repeal of AFSPA, talkers of the meeting said that AFSPA violates not only the international human rights standards but also the international humanitarian law.

As such, India must uphold its international obligations to emerge as a major power in the world, they observed.

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