Imphal, March 09: The United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in its 70th session has urged the Government of India to repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958.During the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination which commenced on February 19 and concluded yesterday, eight different recommendations pertaining to India were suggested.

The recommendations included repeal of AFSPA, informed Executive Director of Human Rights Alert Babloo Loitongbam who participated in the convention.

Addressing the media today, Babloo said that the convention also recommended replacing AFSPA with a more humane Act in accordance with the recommendation of the Review Committee constituted by the Home Affairs Ministry, Government of India.

Further, the report of the Review Committee should also be made known to the public, mentioned the recommendation.

The convention attended by 10 Indian representatives including the Indian Ambassador to the UN and the Attorney General was also participated by general secretary of United NGOs Mission Manipur U Nobokishore.

The CERD Convention gave its recommendations after confirming that the tribal peoples of the North East are being subjugated by security forces as no security personnel can be prosecuted without sanctions from the Union Government while security personnel can search, arrest and shoot any individual without warrant and on mere suspicion because of the immunity guaranteed to them under AFSPA.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination also urged the State party (Government of India) to fully respect and implement the right of ownership, collective or individual, of the members of tribal communities over lands traditionally occupied by them in accordance with the ILO Convention 107 on Indigenous and Tribal Population, 1957.Another recommendation of the CERD convention was that the State party should seek the prior consent of the indigenous peoples while constructing dams and similar projects in the North East States, said Babloo Loitongbam.

Comment