Bandh intensifies after 6 pm in hill districts
Source: Chronicle News Service
Senapati, August 03 2022:
In response to the call of ATSUM against the detention of student leaders, the Senapati District Students' Association (SDSA) imposed total shutdown beginning from early morning of Wednesday.
Volunteers supporting the bandh turned back vehicles without proper reasons during the day.
According to a source from ATSUM, the tribals in Manipur under the banner of ATSUM have been striving for an inclusive governance for better transparency and to bridge the gap of development and bring equal development.
Under Article 371C, tribals of Manipur have the full authority and autonomy under Autonomous District Council.
However, the Manipur government has been manipulating the tribal rights by fooling the general public by introducing "District Council Bill" by eliminating the most important word "Autonomous" .
Therefore, the demand for the Autonomous District Council Bill by the tribals is never met with the introduction of namesake bill.
The state government's denial to table the HAC recommended ADC Bill, 2021 in the Assembly compelled the whole tribal populace to go for intense agitation in the hill districts of Manipur.
During the agitation, many student leaders were arrested.
With regard to the ADC Bill tabled by the TA & Hills minister on August 2, student bodies lamented that it was on the advice of the state government to table a different one (The Hill Areas District Council Bill 6th amendment & 7th amendment) which was not recommended by HAC and beyond the demand and wishes of the whole tribal populace.
To this, the tribal populace considered such act as autocratic governance demeaning the meaning of democracy in Manipur, ATSUM said.
ATSUM finance secretary Kakai Singsit told media persons at Senapati that the agitation is an equivocal stand of the 3 student bodies of the hill districts including the ATSUM, ANSAM and KSO GHQ that the bandh will continue and will be intensified if the government does not table the HAC Recommended ADC Bill in the state assembly.
While strongly condemning the arrest of their senior leaders including some executives of ATSUM by the government, the student leader warned of intense agitation if the government fails to release the arrested student leaders at the earliest.
The secretary also warned of intensifying the agitation as per the decisions taken by ATSUM, ANSAM and KSO GHQ until and unless the demands that were placed before the Government of Manipur are fulfilled in toto.