Scribes feted for gender crime reporting

IMPHAL | Dec 17 : Best reporter award on crime against women from gender perspective was conferred to The People’s Chronicle reporter, Sagolsem Bigyan and Huiyen Lanpao’s Bijoy Laishram today. The award carries with it a cash prize of Rs. 30,000. The award ceremony was held as part of closing the ceremony of 16 days […]

IMPHAL | Dec 17 : Best reporter award on crime against women from gender perspective was conferred to The People’s Chronicle reporter, Sagolsem Bigyan and Huiyen Lanpao’s Bijoy Laishram today. The award carries with it a cash prize of Rs. 30,000. The award ceremony was held as part of closing the ceremony of 16 days […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2017/12/scribes-feted-for-gender-crime-reporting/

Naga peace talk : State Shiv Sena lays down stand to Najma

Imphal, October 27 2017: Shiv Sena, Manipur Unit submitted a memorandum to Governor Najma Heptulla today with a demand to amend Article 3(C) of the Constitution, according to which the Parliament may, by law, diminish the area of any State . It may be mentioned that the submission comes in the background of the ongoing […]

Imphal, October 27 2017: Shiv Sena, Manipur Unit submitted a memorandum to Governor Najma Heptulla today with a demand to amend Article 3(C) of the Constitution, according to which the Parliament may, by law, diminish the area of any State . It may be mentioned that the submission comes in the background of the ongoing […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2017/10/naga-peace-talk-state-shiv-sena-lays-down-stand-to-najma/

Will SC’s verdict on Manipur fake encounter killings force the Centre to rethink AFSPA?

Ipsita Chakravarty The Supreme Court’s July 14 judgement on alleged extrajudicial killings in Manipur takes an important institutional step. It recognises the presence of state violence in conflict areas. It also notes that the victims of such violence have no access to justice, which is a basic human right recognised by the Constitution. The public […]

Ipsita Chakravarty The Supreme Court’s July 14 judgement on alleged extrajudicial killings in Manipur takes an important institutional step. It recognises the presence of state violence in conflict areas. It also notes that the victims of such violence have no access to justice, which is a basic human right recognised by the Constitution. The public […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2017/07/will-scs-verdict-on-manipur-fake-encounter-killings-force-the-centre-to-rethink-afspa/

Will extend assistance to SIT probing fake encounters : Biren Focus should be on those who gave the orders to kill, in addition to those personnel who were just following those instructions : Babloo

Imphal, July 15 2017: The Manipur Government will provide “necessary assistance” to a Special Investigating Team (SIT) set up the Supreme Court to probe extra-judicial killings and fake encounters by security forces in the insurgency-hit State, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said today . Welcoming the apex Court order setting up the SIT comprising five […]

Imphal, July 15 2017: The Manipur Government will provide “necessary assistance” to a Special Investigating Team (SIT) set up the Supreme Court to probe extra-judicial killings and fake encounters by security forces in the insurgency-hit State, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said today . Welcoming the apex Court order setting up the SIT comprising five […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2017/07/will-extend-assistance-to-sit-probing-fake-encounters-biren-focus-should-be-on-those-who-gave-the-orders-to-kill-in-addition-to-those-personnel-who-were-just-following-those-instructions-babloo/

Breaking: Supreme Court orders CBI probe into Manipur Encounter Killings

The Supreme Court today directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to constitute a 5-member team to probe into the Manipur Encounter killings. The Court also directed registration of FIRs in nearly 100 cases. The judgment was passed today by Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta. Background The case was filed in the Supreme Court […]

The Supreme Court today directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to constitute a 5-member team to probe into the Manipur Encounter killings. The Court also directed registration of FIRs in nearly 100 cases. The judgment was passed today by Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta. Background The case was filed in the Supreme Court […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2017/07/breaking-supreme-court-orders-cbi-probe-into-manipur-encounter-killings/

Public Meeting Protesting On Oil Exploration In Manipur

The Public meeting was organized by the Nupi Chaokhat Thourang Lup Sunushiphai (NCTLS), Ideal Club Sunusiphai (ICS), Seva Club Sunusiphai Awang Leikai (SCSAL), Ideal Mother Association Sunusiphai Makha Leikai (IMASML)and other meirapibi lup at Sunusiphai Market Shed, Bishnupur District Manipur on 06/06/2017. The public meeting was attended by Mr. M Ibomcha (Pradhan Phubala GP), Mr. […]

The Public meeting was organized by the Nupi Chaokhat Thourang Lup Sunushiphai (NCTLS), Ideal Club Sunusiphai (ICS), Seva Club Sunusiphai Awang Leikai (SCSAL), Ideal Mother Association Sunusiphai Makha Leikai (IMASML)and other meirapibi lup at Sunusiphai Market Shed, Bishnupur District Manipur on 06/06/2017. The public meeting was attended by Mr. M Ibomcha (Pradhan Phubala GP), Mr. […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2017/06/public-meeting-protesting-on-oil-exploration-in-manipur/

Widows of Manipur’s Extra-Judicial Killings Are Foot Soldiers

It was Good Friday on April 6 in 2007. A holiday, and Renu Takhelabam’s husband had driven out on his scooter to a local market. Hours passed and he did not return. Renu grew anxious, their nine-month-old son bawled. Meanwhile, Mung Hangzo’s corpse lay unattended in a local hospital. Hangzo’s death had become another statistic […]

It was Good Friday on April 6 in 2007. A holiday, and Renu Takhelabam’s husband had driven out on his scooter to a local market. Hours passed and he did not return. Renu grew anxious, their nine-month-old son bawled. Meanwhile, Mung Hangzo’s corpse lay unattended in a local hospital. Hangzo’s death had become another statistic […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2017/05/widows-of-manipurs-extra-judicial-killings-are-foot-soldiers/

Manipur killings: Amicus Curiae on ‘Army & Constitutionalism’; No legal impediment to register FIRs, says Manipur

Murali Krishnan (Courtesy : Bar and Bench) The hearing in Supreme Court in the Manipur encounter killings with respect to cases in which Gauhati and Manipur High Courts had ordered judicial inquiries concluded on April 20 . The matter was heard by a Bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and UU Lalit, which reserved its […]

Murali Krishnan (Courtesy : Bar and Bench) The hearing in Supreme Court in the Manipur encounter killings with respect to cases in which Gauhati and Manipur High Courts had ordered judicial inquiries concluded on April 20 . The matter was heard by a Bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and UU Lalit, which reserved its […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2017/05/manipur-killings-amicus-curiae-on-army-no-legal-impediment-to-register-firs-says-manipur/

AFSPA extended for another year

The state government has once again extended the provisions of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 as amended from time to time for a period of one year with effect from December 1, 2016 the entire state of Manipur excluding the Imphal Municipal Area as “Disturbed Area”, said a release signed by Additional Chief […]

The state government has once again extended the provisions of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 as amended from time to time for a period of one year with effect from December 1, 2016 the entire state of Manipur excluding the Imphal Municipal Area as “Disturbed Area”, said a release signed by Additional Chief […]

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2016/12/afspa-extended-for-another-year/

A virus called AFSPA

(Excerpts from a 2009 report on fake encounters) By Irengbam Arun The Armed Forces Special Powers Act is a direct descendant of the Armed Forces Special Powers Ordinance 1942 that the British rulers promulgated to suppress the Indian Freedom Movement during the Second World War. The later was a temporary measure to tackle an emergency […]

The post A virus called AFSPA appeared first on KanglaOnline.

(Excerpts from a 2009 report on fake encounters) By Irengbam Arun The Armed Forces Special Powers Act is a direct descendant of the Armed Forces Special Powers Ordinance 1942 that the British rulers promulgated to suppress the Indian Freedom Movement during the Second World War. The later was a temporary measure to tackle an emergency […]

The post A virus called AFSPA appeared first on KanglaOnline.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2016/07/virus-called-afspa/

UN seat cannot be claimed by India without repealing AFSPA: SSSC

NEW DELHI, October 8: Irom Sharmila appeared in the Delhi Court on 6 and 7 October for the trial of the 2006 Jantar Mantar Case where Delhi Police lodged a

NEW DELHI, October 8: Irom Sharmila appeared in the Delhi Court on 6 and 7 October for the trial of the 2006 Jantar Mantar Case where Delhi Police lodged a case against her in section 309 of attempt to suicide, and during the hearing, she reiterated her truth that she is not committing suicide, instead she is appealing to protect the right to life, said a press release by Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC).

It said, SSSC volunteers met her during her court appearance, and in the hearing, she also reiterated the undemocratic and draconian effects of AFSPA and appealed for its repeal.

In the press release, SSSC stated that they consider the hearing as a way of suppression of voices of human rights and lodging her in jail with the reason of attempt to suicide, is a judicial failure and disrespect of human rights of world’s largest democracy.

If India is really serious to be known at global level with powers to take part in policy making and advisory for global issues through UN, it must have first and primary requirement of respecting human rights, said Ravi Nitesh, Convener of SSSC in the press release.

It said, SSSC supports Irom Sharmila in all her endeavour and struggle and the campaign has been continuously working since last many years against AFSPA, and moreover the campaign keeps its faith upon non violence struggle of Irom Sharmila and considers her as its leader.

SSSC has worked nationwide in last years to highlight struggle of Irom Sharmila and has organised numerous events, public demonstrations and other activities in almost all states of India and in few other countries to advocate Repeal of AFSPA from all regions, including state of North East Region and of J&K, and SSSC believes that its struggle is against state repression that anyone can see through AFSPA that is imposed in J&K and states of North east region, and therefore struggle will continue against all human rights violations by security forces in these regions, said the press release.

It further said, there have been many incidents of brutal mass-rapes that have been reported in past and justice still elude the victims, which have been proved not only by human rights’ organisations but also by government-appointed committees.

In the press release, SSSC has demanded the government to immediately pay attention towards repealing of AFSPA and also demanded both the state and central government to coordinate and cooperate with each other to end the impasse over AFSPA, for which, state leadership of central ruled party has already promised to repeal AFSPA in Manipur.

AFSPA creates corruption and becomes dangerous with absolute power diverting the normal way of working of security force personnel, which could be proven with so many examples and incidents of killings, rapes and disappearances by the security officials but nothing could be done against them even if evidences were provided before courts due to impunity under AFSPA (section 7), said SSSC in the press release.

SSSC further stated in the press release that India is being honoured globally but the undemocratic and inhuman act is also working to tarnish the image of the country and the demand to repeal AFSPA is not only at national level but also at a global level with international human rights’ organisations and activists advocating for it.

SSSC will continue its efforts and will be organising protests and active campaigning in coming months for advocating Repeal of AFSPA from everywhere, stated SSSC in the press release.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/10/un-seat-cannot-be-claimed-by-india-without-repealing-afspa-sssc/

Top 10 Points to Know About Irom Sharmila And Her Fast Unto Death

By: W Rorrkychand Singh   “Wake up brothers and sisters The savior of the nation We have come out all the way Knowing we all will die Why the fear… Read more »

By: W Rorrkychand Singh   “Wake up brothers and sisters The savior of the nation We have come out all the way Knowing we all will die Why the fear… Read more »

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2012/06/top-10-points-to-know-about-irom-sharmila-and-her-fast-unto-death/

VIEW: ON THE PATH OF TRUTH: IROM SHARMILA CHANU

On the path of truth Since our childhood, we read in our books, we heard… more »

On the path of truth

Since our childhood, we read in our books, we heard from our teachers and parents that the best path to move is the path of truth. In fact, truth has been considered as a virtue of spirituality, truth has been considered as a quality of mankind. Truth is confidence, truth is courage. These all phrases, when we heard, we were children, children with pure heart and fresh minds. Our minds were blank and anything that we saw, we heard, we talked and wrote has become part of our memory. Following the path of truth was one of those, stories of martyrs and saints impressed our hearts and minds and we started behaving as a true person. By the time when we grew up, we learnt techniques of telling lies, though these were childish lies and thus our truth remains unaffected. Even, at the present time, everybody who is living in society has different mindset, attitude, principles etc but still there is no conflict among various social groups on the matter of truth. Truth is all time favorite quality of all. At present, when we all are divided on many views and other identities, it is the truth that easily gets support from all sides sooner or later.

Now, once again there is a story in front of our eyes, the story of Irom Chanu Sharmila. We all are witnessing an era of a woman moving on the path of truth in spite of all even and odds. This is a story of turning a common human being as an uncommon revolutionary. Probably she was the child who received many morals from those stories, and probably she was the girl during her college days who observed truth everywhere, probably she, when worked for people, favored truth in all conditions, without fear. She is the lady, who is fighting for people, without fear. This courage, the courage of being on hunger protest since eleven years, truly reflects the power of truth. She, once again, proved that truth is neither helpless nor weak; instead it can multiply the courage within one’s heart. Continuous struggle of Irom, once again drew attention of all towards this peaceful struggle.

Undoubtedly, the struggle is tough, it is more difficult than any violent protest, but more acceptable. She fight, but she doesn’t need to search any hideouts. She is always ready to face anyone, she is always ready to answer and she is sure that her protest has no adverse effect on anybody. In fact, she is clearly sending a message that truth can never be defeated. She reflected that those who move on path of truth, get followers and their impact multiplied. Those who move on the path of truth, give birth to new thoughts and philosophy themselves and society absorb their teachings to move on the same path for various reasons during various times.

Message of her struggle should be received by government of India as soon as possible. Government by understanding importance of the whole issue; should give recognition to her protest because by taking initiatives. It is demand of time due to various reasons. First, to encourage non violent protest, and it can lead the way of reduction of armed struggles because they can get diverted when they will find that non violent protests are better way to spread the message of demand, second, it can give ample benefit to affected people , third, it is moral responsibility of government to give recognition to values of truth, humanity and non violence and last it can bring a fruitful result, mutually acceptable to all stakeholders, for a common benefit of public . We all hope that we will very soon be able to see the initiative of government and thus will witness a full story of truth once again, we read somewhere.


From:
Ravi Nitesh
New Delhi
Blog: www.ravinitesh.blogspot.com

DISCLAIMER:
Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely mine and my employer is not related/responsible for any material of this mail. The sole responsibility will be mine, in case of any dispute.

 

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Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2012/05/view-on-the-path-of-truth-irom-sharmila-chanu/

Protecting children in conflict situations

  By Suhas Chakma From 18th to 20th May 2012, a team of the National… more »

 

By Suhas Chakma
From 18th to 20th May 2012, a team of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) will be visiting Manipur for investigation into alleged encounter deaths of children in the State. This is one of the most significant steps taken by the NCPCR under the leadership of Chairperson Dr Shanta Sinha to address the gaps in the implementation of the juvenile justice in the areas afflicted by internal armed conflicts.

Manipur is emblematic of the absence of juvenile justice in the conflict affected areas. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) remains in force in the State but when the AFSPA was enacted in 1958, there were no juvenile justice laws. Consequently, the AFSPA does not differentiate between children and adults. For effective purposes, the armed forces treat the juveniles as adult. In the entire discourse on the AFSPA, the need for special protection of children has not been addressed adequately.

It is universally accepted that on matters relating to children, specific laws relating to children shall prevail. This overriding principle is set out in article 3(1) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which provides that “in all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration”.

Indian judiciary too has recognised the supremacy of the Juvenile Justice (Protection and Care of Children) Act, 2000 over all other Acts including on the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 2002. The Madras High Court in the case of the arrest of G. Prabhakaran (15 years) under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 upheld the supremacy of the Juvenile Justice Act. The Madras High Court while dismissing the trial of Prabhakaran under the POTA stated “The rights of a child are an integral part of human rights, yet the protagonists of human rights hardly ever focus their attention on the exploitation and abuse of the rights of children. ….The POTA court, in the present case, has exceeded its jurisdiction and trespassed into another territory and the mischief has to be undone.’’

In Manipur, children have been consistently arrested, detained and tortured. In many cases, they have also become victims of extrajudicial executions or encounter killings. ACHR has regularly been intervening in a number of cases and it shares two specific cases which have been concluded.

On 13 July 2003, three children namely Kamkholal Haokip (17 years) and his younger brother Sumkhosat Haokip and Satkholun Haokip (15 years) were killed by the Assam Rifles personnel in an alleged encounter at Sipijang area under Senapati district. The Assam Rifles claimed that all the three children were hardcore members of the Kuki National Front. However, the villagers stated that the Assam Rifles had an encounter with the militants following which they cordoned off the four villages – Gelbung, G-Solung, Matjong Thangbu and L Khumnom and called out about 50 youths from their respective homes at about 3.30 am. All the 50 youths were taken to the playground at Gelbung village. Later on at about 6.30 am, three children were picked out from the group while the rest were told to go home. As the rest were on their way home, they heard loud gunfire shots. Later the Assam Rifles personnel called out another 12 youths from the villages and told them to carry away the bodies of the three youths which bore multiple bullet injuries. Kamkholal Haokip was a Class X student of Salem Higher Secondary School while Sumkhosat and Satkholun were employed in a hotel at Imphal. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) intervened following a complaint filed by ACHR but let off the Assam Rifles solely based on a “No Objection Certificate” forcibly taken from the villagers certifying that they were not harassed by the Assam Rifles!

However, the Assam Rifles could not hide with respect to alleged encounter killing of Saikhom Samungou (20 years), Sanasam Ngongo Meitei (15 years) and Thiyam Sunder (23 years) on 11 January 2005 under Yairipok Police Station in Thoubal district.  A Press Information Bureau (PIB) Defence Wing handout claimed that all of them were cadres of the banned United National Liberation Front. However, the villagers claimed that Saikhom Samungou and Sanasam Ngongo Meitei were students. The police in its report to the NHRC following a complaint from ACHR stated that while Thiyam Sunder was a hardcore member of the UNLF, Sanasam Ngongo Meitei and Saikhom Samungou Singh were “innocent civilians”. The Ministry of Defence also admitted that Meitei and Singh were civilians but it continued to refer all the three as “militants” and “terrorists” in its report dated 13 June 2006 to the NHRC. The NHRC in its order dated 31 August 2007 directed to pay Rs 100,000 to each of the next of kin of the deceased but under what circumstances Meitei, a juvenile, was killed remained unexplained.

In all the conflict affected areas, arrest, detention, torture, sexual abuse and encounter killings are rampant. There is little knowledge about the Juvenile Justice (Protection and Care of Children) Act, 2000 amongst the law enforcement personnel in conflict situations. The institutions defined under the Juvenile Justice (Protection and Care of Children) Act, 2000 such as Juvenile Justice Boards, Child Welfare Committees, Juveniles Homes, Juvenile Special Police Units etc do not exist in the disturbed areas/conflict situations. And large parts of the country are indeed affected by armed conflicts. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 21 out of 28 States are affected by internal armed conflicts. These includes Jammu and Kashmir, seven northeastern States and 13 Naxalite affected States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

In order to address the gaps for administration of juvenile justice in conflict affected areas, there is a need to adopt “Standard Operating Procedures” that the security forces must comply. Further, the institutions of juvenile justice ought to be made functional. Otherwise, children living in conflict affected areas will be deprived of what is provided to children in rest of the country.

 

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2012/05/protecting-children-in-conflict-situations/

Call For Commission And Ommission For A Better Manipur


  by Neken Singh Seram   Communal hatred and human right violations are the dual… more »


If housed under the same roof, even the cats and dogs become intimate friends. When the peoples of hills and valley live together, share their problems, grief, prospects and gaiety; there will be emotional integration among the varied and numerous ethnic groups of Manipur. The Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reform Act, 1960 (MLR & LR Act, 1960) enacted by Parliament to consolidate and amend the law relating to land revenue in the State of Manipur and to provide certain measures of land reform has affected the peaceful co-existence, since the act is excluding the hill areas of the State. Moreover, the antagonism of the people residing at far-off hill areas towards the mainland dwellers has become more and more widened due to lack of road connectivity and physical progress. Even though huge amounts have been pumped in to improve connectivity and infrastructure at the remote hill areas of the state through schemes like Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana, real development hardly reaches the targeted locations and intended beneficiaries as a few well-to-do people ranging from high profile contractors to politicians remain reaping the fruits. Thus, people at the edge feel excluded from the mainland. At this juncture, it is highly necessary to allow the valley people to settle in hill areas to bring about emotional integration.

 

by Neken Singh Seram

 
Communal hatred and human right violations are the dual tribulations bothering the smooth sail of Manipur society today. In the name of insurgency as well as counter insurgency operations, innumerable numbers of innocent human beings have been killed, rendered disabled for life or made to disappear. Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 has been manifesting itself as a notorious challenge to secured existence of natives of this land. The Act which is completely in contradiction to democratic values has been in force in Manipur. Side by side, there has been a strong wedge among communities created by the non-extension of Manipur Land Revenue and land Reforms Act. in the hill areas. It is now questionable why the AFSPA is still not removed from this state, even if it is claimed by the Congress regime that law and order situation of the state has considerably been improved. It is also worthy of discussion why the valley residents of the state are not allowed to settle in the hill areas in spite of the tall verbatim for emotional, cultural and social integration between the hills and the valley. Removal of AFSPA and extension of MLR&LR Act in hills are the issues needing urgent attention so as to bring about security of life and peaceful co-existence among the varied groups of people in the long run.

 

“When a dog bites a man, that is not news. But if a man bites a dog, that is news.” This great saying by the legendary journalist John B. Bogart serves as the most convincing definition of news to journalism students. However, news reporters and publishers shall always remember their responsibilities of involving in socio-human issues concerning the people in democracies. The national newspaper The Telegraph recently published a news report regarding Sharmila’s personal love story which even led the Manipuri civil society to boycott the newspaper for irresponsibility. It is now questionable – which is more newsy between Sharmila fasting for 11 years for love of humanity and the same lady speaking out her personal moments in romance ? The Telegraph dwelled only on the awkward part of Sharmila’s decade-old movement and seemed to forget the endurance and toil during the whole process. It was also at a time when ‘Save Sharmila Campaigns’ to enliven her protest movement were being planned from across the nation. It is highly skeptical whether the media organisation was intentional towards sabotaging the Sharmila’s non-violent movement or some hidden-elements have maneuvered tactics for that end.

 

Universally, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 is inhumane and openly violates human rights. It is even more irrelevant in the context of Indian democracy, where fundamental right to life occupies the main aspect of its constitution. Certain provisions of the Act have allowed the security forces to kill innocent human beings out of suspicion. To enforce such an act in Manipur is highly irrational. It is high time the union government paid urgent attention towards the strongest ever protest by the non-violent striker Irom Chanu Sharmila and created a healthy platform for talks with the iron lady in the interest of humanity.

 

In the name of counter insurgency, innumerable numbers of youths of the state were killed after arrests, forced to disappear after pick-up by the security or to become psychologically and physically disturbed for life. We had seen widespread agitations in the state when a 15-year-old innocent student Yumlembam Sanamacha from Yairipok Angtha was forced to disappear after arrest by the security years back. In similar case, Laishram Bijoykumar Singh, a student leader also never returned home from the hands of security personnel.  We may also recall the cases of Chandam Chaoba of Pukhao Terapur, Lokendro and Loken of Khongman and Pebiya Pandit Leikai who were forced to disappear in custody. The RIMS massacre, Heirangoithong incident, Malom and Oinam incidents etc. were epoch-making happenings where security forces put to end innocent civilians. None will never forget the Thangjam Manorama murder episode in July 2004 which even led to the infamous nude protest by Manipuri women in front of the sacred Kangla and to the self-immolation of student activist Chitaranjan. There were also extrajudicial executions after arrests and tragic stories told by those escaped from security camps regarding the destructive motive of security forces.

 

Besides upholding human rights and dignity of the people, Manipur needs an enabling environment where innumerable number of varied ethnic communities may live together in peace and co-operation. The Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reform Act, 1960 (MLR & LR Act, 1960) enacted by Parliament to bring about uniformity in distribution of land throughout the State is excluding the hill areas of the State. There is a special protective provision of the Act on the transfer of land belonging to a tribal to non-tribal. Section 158 says, “No transfer of land by a person who is a member of Scheduled tribes shall be valid, unless the transfer is to another member of Schedule tribes or is by way of mortgage to a co-operative society.”

 

Moreover, the antagonism of the people residing at far-off hill areas towards the mainland dwellers has become more and more widened due to lack of road connectivity and physical progress. Even though huge amounts have been pumped in to improve connectivity and infrastructure at the remote hill areas of the state, real development hardly reaches the targeted locations and intended beneficiaries as a few well-to-do people ranging from high profile contractors to politicians remain reaping the fruits. Thus, people at the edge feel excluded from the mainland. So it is highly necessary at this juncture to allow the valley people to settle in hill areas to bring about emotional integration. If the people of the valley areas are allowed to settle in the hill areas, then there would be inter-mingling of populations among ethnic groups. Their problems and prospects would well be shared among them. Emotional integration would not be a far cry in such a situation. So why not the land revenue and land reforms act is extended to the hills ?
(The writer is a free lance Journalist)

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/call-for-commission-and-ommission-for-a-better-manipur/

TEN ISSUES/QUESTIONS TO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE POLITICAL PREMISE OF AFSPA


  To insist that one must address and understand “Political Premise” of AFSPA is to… more »


 

To insist that one must address and understand “Political Premise” of AFSPA is to insist that we must fundamentally know/address the following issues:

  1. “Law” is a juridico-political fact, thereby meaning it has a political premise and that must be addressed (more so with Acts like AFSPA).
  2. Even if the protestors prefer to de-link the political premise of AFSPA, will the Government of India, with which the protestors are engaging with in order to repeal the Act, de-link what it thinks the Act is addressing while thinking about AFSPA?
  3. All legislations are to address some realities/phenomena in our real world. Acts on dowry, sati, child-marriage, for that matter the recent talk of Lok Pal, all are (about) legislations to address or fight realities of our life (the menace of dowry, sati, child-marriage or corruption). Therefore, the discussions or debates on these legislations are not carried out by de-linking these realities.
  4. What is that AFSPA is fundamentally seeking to address? (Isn’t this a question of policy/approach and politics that informed the policy/approach, a question that is inherently implicated and critical in understanding AFSPA?)
  5. AFSPA is supposed to address the “disturbed condition” caused by “armed rebellion” (“khutlaipaiba lalhouba”).
  6. Aren’t the powers given in the Act related to “armed rebellion”, powers (actvities) that are to be exercised/performed by the military personnel?
  7. Why is it then that the Supreme Court says the “disturbed condition” wherein AFSPA has been enforced is not due to “armed rebellion”? (Is this a “legal” or “political” question?)
  8. If it is about “law and order”, are those powers noted in the Act in line with what is expected of a “law and order” enforcing mechanism or engaging in “war”, including those that can be described as “low intensity” ones?
  9. More crucially, if the Act is not addressing a “disturbed condition” caused by “armed rebellion” (khutlapaiba lalhouba), and it is about “law and order”, why does the Government of India outlawed those rebels groups or charged the members of these groups in Court saying that they are “waging war” against the State?
  10. Are these questions matters of “theory” or (as many have a habit of saying often as a way of debunking or refusing any attempt at deepening understanding on an issue) “ground reality” or both?

 

To those who are protesting against the AFSPA:

 

(a) Narratives of human tragedy, of near and dear ones having been tortured, detained, killed or made disappeared by the state agencies under the Act, are facts. But are these narratives of human tragedies un-related to the above questions/issues?

 

(b) But when somebody (or in “we the people” kind of programme in TV channels) brings out similar narratives of human tragedies in the hands of non-state actors, does the issue of AFSPA get diluted or distracted precisely because your fight is based on a limited or narrow legal/human rights perspective that does not address basic questions pertaining to the Act as I have noted here (as well as elsewhere)?

 

(c) How do you intend to make the issue of AFSPA politically significant (amongst others, keep the question/issue no. 2 above in mind as well) when your own politicians and middle class can probably sense the human tragedy and say it’s bad but insurgents also do the same and so on.

 

(d) Granted that, one may agree or disagree with those who are “waging a war” against the Indian State, but the fact is, IT IS THERE as A PART OF OUR REALITY. So, which one makes more sense: Address something that has been there for decades and something that affects our lives with an honest acknowledgment of the reality of “rebellion” and realistically approach the issue or continue to deny or distort the reality (which, while the AFSPA is ostensibly dealing with a phenomenon of “waging war” against the State with arms–in short, “armed rebellion” at the same time legally/juridically denying it, as in Supreme Court Judgment of 1997) OR allow one to be guided by a mob mentality or lynching mindset saying that these “extortionists” blah blah must be “eliminated” (something that the mighty Indian State has been trying for more than 50 years with its military might under a “legal fiction” all this while without success and only to be admitted now and then that we must find a “political solution”!)?

 

Lastly, HOLLOW promise of a “yes, yes, AFSPA must go” by your politicians or those who feel the human tragedies under the violence of the Act but have a nagging question “what after AFSPA?” for there are these “naharols” (or insurgents), can never be addressed (or rather exposed) until and unless one brings in the above TEN questions/issues into the struggle against this notorious “legal fiction” that has created havoc in our life.

 

These are some of the concerns that I have in mind when I insist on “political issue/premise” of AFSPA that we must take care!
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Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/ten-issuesquestions-to-understand-the-significance-of-the-political-premise-of-afspa/

What the heck do we know of AFSPA?

By: A Bimol Akoijam To all those who seem to have a problem when I talk of “Tragedy of de-linking the political premise of AFSPA” Read the following excerpts: (1)… Read more »

By: A Bimol Akoijam

To all those who seem to have a problem when I talk of “Tragedy of de-linking the political premise of AFSPA”

Read the following excerpts:

(1)

Calling Naxalism a bigger challenge then terrorism and insurgency, Union home minister P Chidabaram on Tuesday said…”The most violent movement in India is not terrorism or insurgency but Left-wing extremism”…[t]he burden of the governance cannot be shifted from the state governments to the central government….in the ultimate analysis, the responsibility of governance in the Left-wing extremism affected districts must rest with the states”

—     Naxalism is a bigger challenge than terrorism – Chidambaram, Time of India, page no 11, dated 14 September, 2011)

 

(2)

Irom Sharmila presents a more complex choice before the average citizen. For Manipuris, she is a homegrown heroine…[b]ut for those outside Manipur, she is just as likely to be seen as someone who is questioning the majesty of the Indian state… there are enough number of others who will see…Irom Sharmila’s fast …as a challenge to the Indian state much in the manner that any popular movement in Jammu and Kashmir is seen as a threat to national sovereignty”… [t]he imposition of a draconian law like AFSPA, be it in Manipur or Jammu and Kashmir, reveals a crisis of governance. Indeed, both Manipur and Kashmir have suffered because of corrupt politics as much as they have from violence.

—     Rajdeep Sardesai, Irom’s cause is riskier to support. Anna is safe, IBNlive blogs

 

(3)

ASK YOURSELF:

(i) Do these observations have anything to do with the AFSPA?

(ii) Where do the familiar arguments like “AFSPA gives powers to the NCO” and the “Right to life has been jeopardized” etc stand vis-à-vis these observations?


(4)

DO THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATIONS MAKE SENSE?

 

(A) The Act addresses a reality in our real world, that is, armed insurgency which purportedly threatens the “national security” (ie undermining the territorial integrity and constitutional order of the Indian State). In Manipuri, that phenomenon is called “khutlai paiba lalhouba” (or “armed rebellion”; here it must be noted that “insurgency” is a synonym for “rebellion”).

 

And yet, the Supreme Court Judgment has categorically insisted that the “disturbed condition” wherein the Act has been enforced is not due to “armed rebellion”. It even says that the said “condition” does not constitute a threat to the “security of the nation”! If the Act is not about the “disturbed condition” related to “khutlai paiba lalhouba” (or “armed rebellion”) or it doesn’t threaten the national security, what is it?

 

Having failed to address or remained ignorant of such basic questions, many have failed to understand the Act itself. For instance, the violence which is being exercised by the State through AFSPA is fundamentally based on or derived from the violence to “institute order” rather than “violence to preserve order”. The AFSPA is a violence to institute “Indian-ness” or the legitimacy of “Indian State” in specific areas and their inhabitants wherein the “Indian-ness” are problematic. That is why the Act has not been imposed in all those areas that have “armed insurgency”. It is imposed only in those places wherein “Indian-ness” has become problematic for the Indian State (Northeast, Kashmir, and briefly Punjab), not in those areas wherein “Indian-ness” has not been seen as a problem as such, albeit affected by armed insurgency (ie leftist insurgency in “mainland” India).

AFSPA as “Another 9/11” —Reality beyond rhetoric and dubious knowledge of ground reality, The Sangai Express, dated 14 September, 2011

 

(B) Interestingly, all this while the protestors are busy while barking at the “bare act” of AFSPA with their increasingly redundant legal arguments, the Government of India does not and will not de-link what it thinks the Act is addressing while thinking about AFSPA.

—     AFSPA: Tragedy of Delinking Its Political Premise, Imphal Free Press, dated 11 September, 2001

 

(5)

 

Take note

(a) The use of expressions by Union Home Minister, which need your attention/your own reasons, to clarify the meaning and politics of the categories/terms (“insurgency”, “terrorism”, “extremism”), his comment on “governance” vis-à-vis Central and State Governments (ostensibly as an instrument of “law and order, which is a State subject under the Constitution) and the fact that AFSPA can be imposed by the Central Government after the amendment to the Act in 1972. (Anyone who had watched the programme on CNN-IBN recently…remember the remark of a retired General of the Indian Army that placed the responsibility entirely on the State Government)

 

(b) Ask youself, why is that the protest against an Act which subverts the premise of the claim of being a “Democratic Republic” is seen as “anti-national” while those who support the subversion become “nationalists” (with reference to Rajdeep Sardesai’s write-up which speaks of a truth nonetheless).

 

(C) Confession: To my fellow citizens, particularly Northeasterners and more specifically Manipuris; Have written and argued a lot on this issue over the years, and frankly I am getting tired now; if you still have problem on the idea of the “political premise” of the Act, please do check out, amongst others,

 

(i) Another 9/11. Another Act of Terror: The Embedded Disorder of AFSPA, in Bare Acts (CSDS-Sarai, 2005)

(ii) AFSPA: Smoke Screen of a Political Act, Imphal Free Press, dated 22 May, 2011

 

(6)

Price of Political Disconnect

 

Fiasco of 2007 Assembly Election wherein AFSPA couldn’t become a political issue in Manipur and a possibility that history may repeat itself once again in 2012!

(A) A racially grounded nationalist ethos continues to perpetuate an inhumane and politically dangerous politics, of which AFSPA becomes a naked display of lies and dishonesty and an instrument that seeks to legitimize the unleashing of an illegitimate violence by the state agencies.

 

(B) A discriminatory politics that subverts and deprives a civilized life (based on the principle of democratic ethos and dignity of the people) continues for decades with an ominous additional promise of life without dignity and well-being for many more years to come.

 

(C) the delinking of the political premise of the AFSPA has allowed the subversion of a civilised democratic life while simultaneously strengthening the denial and distortions of the nature of the historically rooted (and contemporary) socio-political issues that affect our collective life for decades. Consequently, our capacity to address and deal with our troubled situation in an informed, honest, purposeful and realistic manner has also been seriously jeopardised.

—     AFSPA as “Another 9/11” —Reality beyond rhetoric and dubious knowledge of ground reality, The Sangai Express, dated 14 September, 2011

 

(D) Fiasco of 2007 Assembly Election wherein AFSPA couldn’t become a political issue in Manipur and a possibility that history may repeat itself once again in 2012!

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Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/what-the-heck-do-we-know-of-afspa/

AFSPA: Tragedy of Delinking Its Political Premise

By Angomcha Bimol Akoijam By and large, those who oppose the Armed Forces Special Powers Act continue to de-link or ignore the subversive political premise of the Act in their… Read more »

By Angomcha Bimol Akoijam

All legislations are to address some realities/phenomena in our real world. Acts on dowry, sati, child-marriage, for that matter the recent talk of Lok Pal, all are (about) legislations to address or fight realities of our life (the menace of dowry, sati, child-marriage or corruption). The discussions or debates on these legislations are not carried out by de-linking these realities. If so, what is that AFSPA is fundamentally seeking to address?

By and large, those who oppose the Armed Forces Special Powers Act continue to de-link or ignore the subversive political premise of the Act in their criticism against the same. Primarily driven by narrow juridical perspectives informed by Human Rights concerns, those who oppose the Act have allowed AFSPA to go on without facing a fundamental challenge to its foundation. As a consequence, the prospect of the Act going through a process of mutation to come back in another incarnation to continue the subversion of a civilized democratic life in the Northeast in general and Manipur in particular cannot be ruled out.

Rhetoric of a Merry-Go-Round

It’s worth remembering that not only AFSPA came as a product of a “decision” by the political executive (i.e., as an ordinance on 22nd May, 1958) but also subsequently escaped more or less unscathed from the “legislative oversight function” of a democratically constituted Parliament on 18 August, 1958. And finally, rather than returning the legislation to the Parliament again for reconsideration, the President readily gave his assent on the legislation, thus making it into a law on 11 September, 1958.

Finally, this “special” law, which, unlike many other “extraordinary” or “special” laws, specifically allows the deployment of the military forces in the “internal affairs” (or as it has been termed as “law and order”) of the State, survived the judicial scrutiny in 1997 as the Supreme Court upheld its “constitutionality”.

Incidentally, after having escaped all these processes, legislative, judicial and executive scrutiny, the Act did return to the political domain once more as a consequence of the upheaval in Manipur in 2004. And yet, the political premise of the Act has never been the primary concern of the protest against the Act.

Indeed, despite this historicity of the Act, strange as it may seem, even as we mark the anniversary of AFSPA, the day the Act became a law, or a “lawless law” (as the then MP from Manipur Laishram Achaw meaningfully called it), one might continue to hear the same legal arguments against the Act which were put up before the Supreme Court. And redundant arguments (e.g., the power to shoot has been given to Non Commission Officer, as if the power is given to a JCO or Commission Officer, it will be acceptable) are likely to be in the air once again. This being the case, the need to go to the basics must be emphasized once more.

Basic Questions

One basic issue that has been relegated, with serious consequences, has been the issue of what this Act is for? All legislations are to address some realities/phenomena in our real world. Acts on dowry, sati, child-marriage, for that matter the recent talk of Lok Pal, all are (about) legislations to address or fight realities of our life (the menace of dowry, sati, child-marriage or corruption). The discussions or debates on these legislations are not carried out by de-linking these realities. If so, what is that AFSPA is fundamentally seeking to address?

The Act addresses a reality in our real world, that is, armed insurgency which purportedly threatens the “national security” (i.e. undermining the territorial integrity and constitutional order of the Indian State). In Manipuri, that phenomenon is called “khutlai paiba lalhouba” (or “armed rebellion”; here it must be noted that “insurgency” is a synonym for “rebellion”).

How does one hope to discuss the Act by de-linking it from the purpose and reality of “armed rebellion” that it purportedly seeks to address? Indeed, have the familiar arguments on power being vested with the NCOs or for that matter even the infringement on the fundamental and sacrosanct “Right to Life” of the citizens ever reminded one of what is that the AFSPA is seeking to address or deal with this reality of our real world? None!

Interestingly, all this while, as the protestors are busy while barking at the “bare act” of AFSPA with their increasingly redundant legal arguments, the Government of India does not and will not de-link what it thinks the Act is addressing while thinking about AFSPA.

It is no wonder then that the protestors are not only least bothered about, if not oblivious of, the dubious and sinister politics that has given birth to, and sustained, this legal fiction called AFSPA over the years. While the Supreme Court Judgment categorically has insisted that the “disturbed condition” is not due to “armed rebellion” wherein the Act has been enforced or that the said “condition” does not constitute a threat to the “security of the nation”, the military and the political class continue to maintain otherwise.

If the Act is not addressing or not related to what the people know it as “khutlai paiba lalhouba” (or “armed rebellion”), what is that the Act is seeking to address? Having failed to address or remained ignorant of such basic question, many have failed to understand the Act itself. For instance, the violence which is being exercised by the State through AFSPA is fundamentally based on or derived from the violence to “institute order” rather than “violence to preserve order”. That AFSPA is a violence to institute “Indian-ness” or the Legitimacy of “Indian State” in specific areas and their inhabitants wherein the “Indian-ness” are problematic.

Indeed, it is not merely the ignorance of written words or documents, even the empirics have failed to draw the attention of many protestors to the real character of the Act. For instance, that the AFSPA has not been imposed in all those areas that have “armed insurgency” does not even allow many of these protestors to see the real nature of political violence invoked by the Act. Thus, having failed to understand the political premise of the Act, they do not adequately comprehend the fact that AFSPA has always been imposed wherein “Indian-ness” has become problematic for the Indian State (Northeast, Kashmir, and briefly Punjab), not in those areas wherein “Indian-ness” has not been seen as a problem, albeit affected by armed insurgency (i.e., leftist insurgency in “mainland” India). And consequently they continue to argue against AFSPA as if the Act is an instrument of maintaining “law and order”, a premise dubiously set up by those who impose and seek to sustain the subversion of this diabolical legal fiction.

Having failed to understand the nature of the political premise and its violence invoked by the AFSPA, most of these protestors have also failed to understand that the reason behind the use of the military forces (which has the ultimate physical force for the “institution of order”) rather than the police (which exercise the violence to preserve/main order) runs deeper than the issue of whether the police forces can handle the situation or not. That had it been a question of “law and order”, either the police forces would have been readied long time back for the job or the military would not have also objected to the restraints on power which are typically imposed on those who perform the duty of maintaining “law and order” under the normative and institutional imperatives of a democratic order.

Thus, the delinking of the political premise of the AFSPA has been a critical factor in allowing the subversion of a civilized democratic life under a legal fiction. Not only that, such an approach has also allowed the people to be a part of the denial and distortions of the nature of the historically rooted and contemporary socio-political issues that affect our collective life for decades. Consequently, our capacity to address and deal with our pathetic situation in an informed, honest, purposeful and realistic manner has also been seriously jeopardized. And it must go without saying that harping on narrowed legal arguments, resorting to rhetoric and proclaiming dubious knowledge of “ground reality” to hide one’s ignorance or dishonesty do not help much to fight against AFSPA and its political premise.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/afspa-tragedy-of-delinking-its-political-premise/

9/11 Day Observation – MSAD and Just Peace Foundation

PRESS NOTES Silently away from the blares of media it is but an inconvenient truth of the so-called largest democracy of the world. 9\11 is the day of the year… Read more »

PRESS NOTES

Silently away from the blares of media it is but an inconvenient truth of the so-called largest democracy of the world. 9\11 is the day of the year 1958 when the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) was signed into a law by his Excellency the President of India, the most draconian and undemocratic legislation enacted by the Indian Parliament. Since then, without any break and judicial review, the black law has been in force in the region. The fact that the ‘right to life’ enshrined in the constitution is not a privilege of all may come as a surprise to many. It was an attack on democracy. While very few civil society organizations and individuals in Delhi has come forward to show solidarity to Irom’s cause, not many have joined her cry of repeal of AFSPA. The need to observe the 9/11 is to initiate discussions around such inconvenient truths. Let’s join the black day observation against the Draconian law, at Arts Faculty, Delhi University, on 9/11/2011 from 11am to 4pm. It is organized to support the world longest fast by Irom Sharmila and the cause to repeal AFSPA. Planning meeting of the worldwide protest on 5 November 2011 as Irom Sharmila is completing 11 years of fast will also be held during the observation. All the people from sections of societies are invited to join the observation.

BEERHUREKHA SAMOM
President   Manipur Student’s Association Delhi (MSAD)

SERAM ROJESH
Coordinator, Delhi:  Just Peace Foundation (JPF)

Contact:  9250446722, 7503689305, 9718669413,
Date 9/9/11

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Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/911-day-observation-msad-and-just-peace-foundation/

Some Suggestions to Govt. of India on AFSPA

By: A Bimol Akoijam Going by the dominant views, primarily legalistic and devoid of political basis, on AFSPA amongst those who are protesting against the Act in Manipur, sometimes I… Read more »

By: A Bimol Akoijam

Going by the dominant views, primarily legalistic and devoid of political basis, on AFSPA amongst those who are protesting against the Act in Manipur, sometimes I wonder why the Government of India keeps on complicating the matter for themselves!?

They could have easily repealed AFSPA and introduce a more “humane” one by taking into account some of the criticisms such as the power to shoot has been given to the Non-Commission Officers (NCOs). Well, don’t give the power to shoot to NCOs, but give it to Commission Officers, if not JCOs! And as for the “Right to Life”, repeat the same argument given by the Supreme Court and introduce some safeguards along with Dos and Don’ts of the Supreme Court Judgment of 1997. And also, provide a rationale for the new act, beyond the “bare act” of the new “humane” legislation; Govt. of India must say, unlike what it did while introducing the AFSPA in 1958, that we have “terrorists” who indulge in “extortion” and “intimidate” and “kill” innocent people in Manipur!

But before they repeal AFSPA and introduce a new one as an alternative, make it sure that the Central leaders call people, some of the major players in the state selectively (invitation from the central leaders can instill quite a lot of “self-worth” to people who have been complaining of being “neglected”) and (this is important) Prime Minster must pay a visit to Sharmila in hospital-cum-jail and give a press conference and announce that Govt. of India has taken time to take the decision (insist in English, one cannot take a hasty decision, and that one cannot afford to follow “hou hou laobi” culture or episodic response but requires a “holistic” response etc.) as the AFSPA involves “political” issues, amongst other, issues of “national security and integrity”.

Make it sure that such an admission is followed by a statement (preferably in soft and emotionally laden tone) that “insurgents” are our brothers and sisters followed by an empathic remark starting with a BUT (make it sure that this word is stressed) that Govt of India cannot remain as a mere spectator to the suffering of the people in Manipur and allow the “terrorists” who “extort” and delay “development” to go on with their activities against “the people” of Manipur! (Note: For a cue, whoever says this must watch Indira Gandhi’s expression in an interview with BBC at the time of crisis in the then East Pakistan, why India could not  remain a spectator to the human sufferings in East Pakistan in the hands of Pakistani soldiers!)

Lastly but not the least, such an announcement must be ended with wholesome praise for the Manipuris’ contributions to the world of sports, culture (theatre, dance, cinema etc) and announce some financial/development package, including plans to open KFCs and Malls!

After that, the Govt. of India don’t have to worry about a “movement” against AFSPA in Manipur and they can be sure of the moral high ground to watch the confusion and internal bickering amongst those protestors and people in Manipur for a while before it subsides ultimately!

In any case, if we go by what the Manipuris in general have understood about AFSPA as it can be seen from their slogans and articulations that reflect the way they understand AFSPA after all these year, it is unlikely that they will sense the problematic aspects of the fundamental political premise (of AFSPA and its would be substitute) that soon. After all, the alternative Act will take into account their complaints on NCOs and Right to Life etc). By that time, as such, situation would have also changed as various historical and unfolding forces would have shaped the world (including their own) differently.

Government of India must make its move; and they can expect a lovely slogan from Manipur: Jai Ho Manipur, Indian-na Yaifare!

Of course, this doesn’t mean that there will not be fringe elements that will still talk and argue against the New Act for the basic problems inherent in the political premise of AFSPA and the new Act. But Govt. of India does not have to worry about those fringe elements, precisely because they are after all “fringe elements”.  In any case, intrigues against each other, pulling down one another, and killing each other IS NOT a WEAKNESS for the people of Manipur. Therefore, those fringe elements will be effectively taken care of by the people of Manipur themselves!

 

Meaning, accusation of Perpetrating a Colonial Act over the people ends!!!!

QED!

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/some-suggestions-to-govt-of-india-on-afspa/