PREPAK hails UN's anti-AFSPA stance
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 03 2012: Construing that the recent comment against imposition of Armed Forces' special Powers Act (AFSPA) by Prof Christof Heyns, the United Nations' special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, would boost the morale of public of Manipur (Kangleipak) to sustain the ongoing movement for scrapping the draconian Act from the State, the proscribed PREPAK has condemned the Government of India's stubborn stand in favour of the controversial Army Act.

a PREPAK statement issued by its Publicity and Propaganda assistant secretary LeibakNgakpa Luwang claimed that Prof Heyns' proposed visit to Manipur for first hand assessment of the prevailing situation here had been successfully foiled by the Government of India due to fear that continuous atrocities committed by the security forces would be exposed.

The outfit expressed hope that the UN representative would be able to visit Manipur in the near future.

Contending that the Government's reluctance to allow Prof Heyns to visit Manipur only testifies that India is determined to sustain its dominance in the region and gradually marginalise the indigenous population, Luwang regretted that inspite of several cases providing enough evidences that AFSPA has no place in a democratic society, the laws in India continue to empower the security forces to arbitrarily arrest, kill or maim innocent citizens.

Noting Prof Heyns' keen desire to visit Manipur for preparing and filing a comprehensive report on abuse of human rights in the State, the armed organisation expressed that the Supreme Court in its November 27, 1997 ruling conceding that AFSPA is an indelible component of the Indian Constitution is an indication that Indian security forces need to be bestowed excess power to not only suppress the ongoing armed movement but to fortify Manipur into a frontier state irrespective of the citizens' rights being continuously abused.

The PREPAK also reposed faith in the UN exposing the grim reality prevailing in Manipur to the global fraternity and succeeding in penalising perpetrators of criminal acts.

While highlighting genesis of AFSPA and its imposition in Manipur and the North East region pretentiously, Luwang questioned wisdom of the Indian policy makers and the judicial system for validating the Act contrary to India claiming to be the largest democratic country in the world.

Recounting that AFSPA was imposed throughout Manipur on July 21, 1978 to combat the insurgency movement, he said besides extra-judicial execution of members of armed organisations, innocent civilians, including many women were not spared by the security force personnel who are immune to punishment under certain clauses of the AFSPA 1958 .

Mentioning ongoing hunger strike by Irom Chanu Sharmila in the aftermath of the then Maibam Lokpa Ching-based 8 Assam Rifles personnel slaughtering 10 innocent civilians at Malom area on November 2, 2000 and the mass movement of the people in mid-2004 to protest rape and murder of Thangjam Manorama as some of the unanimous uprisings against the Act, the assistant secretary said selfimmolation by Pebam Chittaranjan, student Memita succumbing to rubber-bullet wounds and 12 elderly women staging nude protest in front of the historic Kangla are enough evidence that people of Manipur had been enduring severe atrocities of both central and State security forces.

Citing indifferent attitude of the Government rather than ensure safety of the citizens and stubbornly backing AFSPA despite overwhelming opposition as glaring example of a Government whose only concern is geographical dominance instead of protecting the people's rights, PREPAK opined that as report of the Jeevan Reddy Commission for either total scrapping or amending the Act to a people-friendly legislation remains unheeded such a stand only validates the armed movement in Manipur and other parts of the North East region.

Referring to strong opposition against the Act by UN and other international rights groups, similar stand of the Jeevan Reddy panel, National Human Rights Commission, Govt-instituted Administrative Reforms Committee, former Defence Minister George Fernandes, then Home Secretary GK Pillai and the BJP among other political organisations, Luwang observed and condemned the fact that only the Congress party remains isolated and indifferent on the issue.

Further listing the O Ibobi Singh-led Government and the armed forces as some of the entities that had been reluctant to see the end of AFSPA and construing the recent (March 31) comment by the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram that proposal for amending the Act has been referred to the Cabinet sub-committee as yet another testimony of the Govt's double-standard stand on the issue, PREPAK said in case the Centre is sincere the repressive Act could have been either amended or scrapped many years ago.

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