SHILLONG: TUR has extended solidarity to the groups and individuals in Garo Hills who are publicly expressing their concern and rallying against the possible invocation of AFSPA in Garo Hills in light of the recent Meghalaya High Court order of the Full Bench comprising Chief Justice Uma Nath Singh, Justice TNK Singh and Justice SR Sen which calls for the “Central Government to consider the use of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 and the deployment of Armed and Para-Military Forces in the Garo Hills area of Meghalaya”.
In a statement issued here, Angela Rangad of TUR said that while people have suffered human rights abuses from both state and non state actors in the protracted militancy in Garo Hills, calling in the army will only further heighten such abuses as is seen in states such as Manipur, Nagaland, and Kashmir where through AFSPA people have been made to suffer even more violence and human rights abuses.
AFSPA has been in operation in Manipur since 1956 and rather than containing militancy it has in fact exacerbated it, TUR said.
The High Court in its order stated that “ as the funds allocation by the Central Government has not helped in ameliorating the decline of law and order, we have no option but to direct the Central Government to consider the use of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, in the Garo Hills area and deployment of Armed and Para-military forces to control the situation”.
According to Tura while it is indeed true that there is in the region and in Meghalaya an ‘economy of militancy’, “we are certain that calling in the armed forces will only further fuel the misuse of funds and corruption in the name of fighting militancy”, TUR said.
It is unfortunate that at a time Irom Sharmila’s epic hunger strike against AFSPA entered its 15th year, the idea that AFSPA can be a solution for the political problem of militancy in Meghalaya was proposed.
“We need to recall that the Law Commission in its report suggested that AFSPA needs to be reviewed and the Justice Verma Committee that was set up post the Nirbhaya Rape Case also examined AFSPA and called for its repeal as it gave the armed forces impunity to rape and kill”, TUR added.
ASWA condemnation
The A’chik Students’ Welfare Association (ASWA) has also condemned the Assam Meghalaya Peace Forum which is demanding the imposition of the draconian AFSPA in the Garo Hills region.
