Imphal, May 22: The impact on the lives of people of Assam and manipur after 50 years of imposition of the Armed Forces' Special Powers Act 1958 was minutely deliberated at an interaction session organised by the Just-Peace Foundation at Manipur Press Club today.

speakers at the session, which was held with the managing trustee of the Foundation Irom Shingajit and senior citizen Lokendra Arambam as the presidium members, recounted promulgation of the AFSPA initially as an ordinance on this day in 1958 in the hills of Assam and Manipur after India gained independence from the British rule.

After the same was passed as an Act by the Parliament of India on August 18 the same year, the then President approved decision of the Parliament on September 11 .

Today the Act that empowers the military to deal firmly with all forms of subversive activities is being imposed in seven States of the North Eastern region and Jammu and Kashmir with cases of human rights abuse by the security forces reported at an alarming rate from these States.

Apart from the United Nations expressing its stand against continued imposition of the Act after a number of human rights violation reports had been placed before the world body, the Government of India constituted Justice (Retd) Jeevan Reddy Commission had in its report recommended that the repressive Act be repealed, noted the speakers.

Moreover, the speakers highlighted that this month itself the United Nations Economic and Social Council formally conveyed to the Centre for repealling the Act.

The fact that even the Prime Minister of India Dr manmohan Singh had conceded that contents of the AFSPA 1958 is draconian and merits revision of the same with hardly any positive action from the Government was also seriously noted by those who spoke on the occasion.

The session further highlighted that atrocities earlier associated with Central forces is being simulated by security force personnel under the State Government.

With the imposition of the draconian law only agravating the situation in the State rather than mitigate suffering of the people and number of armed organisations operating in the State/region on the rise the common people have been enduring atrocities from both the security forces and activists of banned groups, they noted.

besides the general public having to bear the consequences from acts of violence from both the State and non-State movements and outcries launched against such cruelties by a number of human rights organisations in the State is getting dimmer by the day as calls for sanity is gradually being reduced to a whimper owing to continuous act of violence.

The ongoing exercise of the State Government to provide weapons to villagers of Heirok in Thoubal district and Lilong Chajing of Imphal West also came under strong criticism during the session with the speakers questioning the wisdom and concept of arming the civilian population to face off against activists of banned groups.

Under prevailing condition formation and activities of human rights groups have been pushed to the back-burner if not reduced to a mockery, they expressed.

Cases of several persons having disappeared involuntarily in the last few decades also reveberated at the solemn occasion in addition to grimly noting that imposition of the AFSPA for another half a century is certain to destroy the socio-political structure of the land.

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