IMPHAL, October 22: A consultation on Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 at Meghalaya resolved to sensitise the student community of the North East on the human rights consequences of the prolonged imposition of AFSPA in the region, said a NESO statement.
North East Students`™ Organisation (NESO) supported by the Khasi Students`™ Union (KSU) organized a `North East Consultation on Human Rights: Soliciting People`™s Opinion on Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958`™ on October 21 at the Shillong Club, Shillong.
Former chief information commissioner of Meghalaya GP Wahlang attended the consultation as the chief guest.
Advocate Alester Diengdoh, Rev PBM Basaiawmoit and Babloo Loitongbam, human rights defender spoke as resource persons.
According to the statement, after a thread bare discussion, the consultation unanimously resolved to demand the repeal of AFSPA and similar draconian state laws like the Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act and Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act, to translate the AFSPA text and other related literature into vernacular languages in order to deepen the understanding by the communities and demand the establishment and effective functioning of human rights institutions like the National Human Rights Commission, State Human Rights Commission, Women`™s Commission, Right to Information Commission etc. in all the North Eastern States to protect the human rights of the people.
The consultation also resolved to pressure the Members of Parliament from the North East region to raise the issue to repeal AFSPA in the Parliament and to ensure that the issue of repeal of AFSPA in the list of priorities of NESO, it said