Imphal, May 06: Strongly condemning mowing down of three persons including an infant at Saitu sub-division of Senapati district by 14 Assam Rifles personnel yesterday, the United People's Front, Manipur and Working Committee of the Apunba Lup termed the indiscriminate firing upon innocent citizens as reflection of Indian army's discriminatory attitude towards people of Manipur.

The slaying of two women and a child in coldblooded manner is reminiscent of breakdown of administrative machinery and the people surviving at the mercy of men in uniform, said a UPF release.

The irony of the fate of the people of Manipur is the Army beguiling the general masses posing as saviour by providing shelter to a Kakching Khunou family and the very next day eliminating innocent women and child in Senaapati district even as the State people had to tolerate atrocities at the hands of security force personnel at alarming frequency, decried the body.

Charging the Govt of India of unleashing State sponsored terrorism the UPF called upon the people come out from the shell before security force commit more excesses.

Expressing similar sentiment, the Apunba Lup blamed the killing on promulgation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 in the State.

Detailing materials provided by the security force establishments, the Lup said such make-belief gestures and medical scamps conducted from time to time should not be construed as acceptance of the people in morgaging their fate at the hands of the men in uniform.

Belittling the Army initiative of ordering Military Inquiry into the Saitu killing, the body questioned what purpose has the Manorama inquiry and other probe served as neither the findings were made public nor had any security man penalised.

Rather punish the perpetrators awards are being conferred to security personnel and their positions elfevated, charged the Lup while stating that such probe order is another manifestation of the-Indian military to carry forth its campaign of eliminating the people of Manipur.

On the AFSPA review panel, it said the Act need no further revision as wanton killing and abuse of human rights by the security force personnel provides no room, of retaining any clause of the draconian law.

Does the review panel members need more inhumane slaying of innocent women and children like the Saitu case and over-running of an entire habitat to substantiate people's demand for scrapping the AFSPA, questioned the Lup.

The only way people of Marripur could expect a secured life is to strengthen movement for removal of the Act as any sign of weakness will only embolden the Indian military to intensify its search and eliminate campaign, maintained the Apunba Lup.

Meanwhile, All Manipur Students' Union condemning the inhumane action of the AR personnel conveyed solidarity to the grief of the bereaved family members.

Expressing fright at the tumultuous phase Manipur have had to go through for the past many decades, AMSU regretted that the people had been put under tremendous stress at the hands of those who ought to protect the principle of democracy and citizens of the democratic nation.

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