IMPHAL, December 22: The Manipur Students`™ Association, Delhi (MSAD), in association with other student`™s organization, civil societies (AISA, JNUSU, SFI, APCR) and individuals in Delhi organized
protest demonstration demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on December 22.
According to a release of MSAD, a memorandum was also submitted to the Prime Minister of India.
All the participating organizations delivered solidarity speeches and shouted slogans such as `Repeal AFSPA`, `AFSPA Down Down`, `Stop Colonial Policy`, `Repeal Colonial Act`, `Protect Human Rights`, `Long Live Irom Sharmila` and `Long Live People`™s Struggle`.
MSAD has stated that Irom Sharmila has been on hunger strike since Nov 2000 demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958.
This was her immediate response to the Malom Massacre (Manipur) of 2nd Nov 2000 when the Assam Rifles massacred 10 innocent civilians, including women and children, and brutally assaulted more than 64 civilians in the name of counter insurgency, it said.
Articles 4 and 6 of the Armed AFSPA empowers with impunity the armed forces to carry out unrestrained custodial killing, massacring, torturing, sexual harassment, searching and forced disappearance of innocent civilians, the release further said.
In short, the AFSPA violates democratic rights of the people and leave with no scope for a political solution, it said.
The mass demonstration is part of a series of ongoing protests carried out against human rights violations under the objective conditions of state terrorism in India unleashed by the government in the name of counter insurgency.
The release said MSAD fully acknowledges the multi-national character of the Indian sub-continent and firmly believes that the democratic issues raised by the nationalities to defend their national rights cannot be suppressed through undemocratic military tactics.
The nationality question in the Indian sub-continent being political issue, MSAD believes that investing the military to deal with such political issues culminates in state sponsored terrorism in the Northeast.
It said MSAD roundly condemned the AFSPA and demanded its immediate repeal. It also said colonial policy and colonial politics by the Indian state must be stopped. It further demanded the immediate release of Irom Sharmila and refrain from retaining AFSPA in any form, it said.