IMPHAL, March 27: Delhi police today prevented the CPI (Marxist Leninist) from organizing a protest rally on Parliament Street in the national capital. The protest rally was supposed to urge the government to repeal AFSPA from Manipur and Kashmir.
However, a public meeting was held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi which was attended by CPI (Marxist Leninist) members from across the country besides other organizations including Manipur Students’ Association, Delhi, Manbi Leima Democratic Women’s Front and many others.
At the meeting, many leaders like Sharistha Choudhury, general secretary, All India Revolutionary Women Organization, comrade Benij Bihari, UP state secretary, CPI-ML, KK Das, general secretary, Assam state CPI-ML, Gopal Macha, president, Manipur Intellectual forum, Sairem Modhubala from Democratic Women Front, Manipur and KN Ramcharan, National secretary CPI-ML spoke on AFSPA and various atrocities being committed by Indian Army under the controversial Act.
Addressing the gathering, KN Ramcharan accused the government of torturing people in the name of hunting the Maoists who are against it and said, “It is unfortunate.”
Maoist is spearheading a political movement, the CPI-ML National secretary added.
Maintaining that it is totally unreasonable and unacceptable to enforce Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the states of Manipur and Kashmir, Ramcharan said, “The military Act was promulgated by the British to subjugate the Indians and now it is hitting back on us.”
The CPI-ML was a harbinger of the naxalite movement in India.
Ramcharan himself joined and made contribution in the movement and languished in jail for a long time.
The people of Manipur are in a state of trouble as enforcement of AFSPA in the state signifies that Manipur is a colonial land of India, Sapam Shyamsundar, Manipur state CPI-ML secretary asserted, saying that the AFSPA was reformed into an Act from an ordinance made by the British.
India has lost the meaning of being a democratic country because it has taken its stance to remain as a mute spectator over the voice of the people of Manipur, including Irom Chanu Sharmila who is on a fast for 11 years demanding repeal of AFSPA, Sairem Modhubala, a member of Democratic Women Front, Manipur lamented.