Apunba Lup sustains oust-CM call
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 25 2009: The Working Committee of the Apunba Lup has called upon all sections of the society to consolidate the collective stand to pull down Chief Minister Okram Ibobi from his seat, punish criminal commandos as well as police officers who attempted to justify the July 23 killings and secure unconditional release of the arrested Apunba Lup activists.

A statement issued by the Apunba Lup also called upon student community of the state to don the role of vanguards in the ongoing mass movement.

Comparing the prevailing situation to a neighbourhood already engulfed by raging fire, the Apunba Lup asked the students whether they should continue with their studies or fight the raging fire which is fast spreading to 'our own houses'.

Women folk storm Imphal police station to protest arrest of Apunba Lup activists

To save Manipur from extinction due to the killing spree unleashed by O Ibobi and commandos and the atrocities and killings perpetrated under AFSPA 1958, the student community should gear up to take more pro-active roles, it exhorted.

Saying that police commandos have been threatening school/college Headmasters/Principals not to allow students to take part in the protest demonstrations against the Khwairamband killings, the Apunba Lup asserted that this was a direct infringement upon the ethics and rights of teachers.

The Apunba Lup observed that the teacher community should not remain silent to such excesses of police commandos.

It further asserted that the teacher community too should take a firm stand and launch strong movements against Ibobi's regime.

It would do wise on the part of the State Government and the Government of India to keep in mind that the ongoing mass movement would never fall back because of the 'minor threats' made by Manipur police commandos.

The state would be witnessing more aggressive and massive movements, it said.

Observing that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has not uttered a single word on the Khwairamband killing, the Apunba Lup decried that the UPA chief has been patronising Ibobi.

For her deafening silence over numerous cases of rape and murder by security forces, the most recent being the killing of pregnant Rabina in front of her two year old son by police commandos, Sonia Gandhi deserves no respect from the people of Manipur, particularly the womenfolk.

Rather, she should be seen as a woman leader who advocates the killing spree witnessed in the State, the Apunba Lup asserted.

Observing that Chief Minister O Ibobi has not flinched a bit despite the month long hate-filled mass movement against his leadership, the Apunba Lup alleged that MLA Landhoni has been working hard to put any weariness away from her husband so that the killing spree continues.

The state's most lethal brute force would not be able to suppress the people's outcry for justice, it said.

Calling upon the people to carry on the ongoing movement at every locality by staging wakat miphams, protest rallies, burning effigies of the state's black sheep and leaders of Government of India, the Apunba Lup declared that it would take forward its movement against the MLAs, Ministers and the Government of India who have been silently watching the extra-judicial killings committed by security forces.