IMPHAL, Nov 13: A team of Rastra Seva Dal (RSD), who came to meet Irom Sharmila to support for her cause, was denied permission by the home department of Manipur.
The members of the RSD which included Pannalal Surana and Jagdish Torodkar, organized a press conference in this connection at Imphal.
Speaking to media persons, Pannalal Surana, stated that their purpose of visit was to support Sharmila’s demand however the Chief Minister of Manipur has denied permission to the meet her, he said.
The confinement imposed upon Sharmila by the Manipur government tantamount to deprivation of constitutional rights and violation of human rights for which the United Nation has been raising voice, he asserted.
“We are surprised to see that the state government failed to ensure supply of regular essential commodities just because of few groups had declared the blockade on both the National Highways”.
Pannalal further stated that they have come to Manipur support the demand of the people of Manipur and other northeastern states including Jammu and Kashmir to scrap or at least withdraw its applications of AFSPA for the insurgency problem is considerably minimized.
The army is meant for protection of borders of the Nation and not for maintaining law and order inside the country. It is the duty of the police who are bound by laws that recognize fundamental rights of citizens, he said.
“50,000 army are posted in Manipur the people here wants peaceful life and they don’t want war and violence owing to which the army and at the same time the AFSPA must be withdrawn” he further stated.
He appealed all the genuine democracy lovers in the entire nation to bring pressure on the Chief Minister of Manipur to lift the ban from meeting Sharmila.