GUWAHATI, Dec 9: The Northeast Students’ Organisation (NESO) on Thursday appealed to all chief ministers of the Northeast to take a united stand for a joint push to repeal the “draconian” Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the region in view of the killing of 14 civilian in a recent ambush by security forces in Mon district of Nagaland.
The appeal was made during a sit-in demonstration under the aegis of NESO and the All Assam Students’ Union (a constituent of NESO) on the premises of Dighalipukhuri here on Thursday.
NESO members, apart from shouting slogans in unison, held placards demanding immediate repeal of AFSPA and justice to the deceased civilians.
NESO, which also comprises the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF), All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) and Garo Students’ Union (GSU) organised similar protests across other states of the Northeast demanding exemplary punishment to those involved in the firing on innocent civilians in the Oting area of Mon district last Saturday
The AFSPA was enacted in 1958 to give the armed forces discretionary powers of arrest and detention after an armed insurgency started in Nagaland. However, according to critics, the controversial law has failed to control insurgency in the region despite giving armed forces powers to act with impunity.
Speaking to mediapersons during the sit-in here, NESO adviser, Samujjal Bhattacharjya questioned why the Assam chief minister (who is also the NEDA convener) was still silent when his counterparts in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram have taken a strong stand and demanded repeal of AFSPA following the Mon attack.
“We welcome the strong stand taken by Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram chief ministers and appeal to the other chief ministers of the region to unite and demand repeal of the Act,” Bhattacharjya, who is also the AASU chief adviser, said, while asserting that the agitation against AFSPA under a common platform of NESO would continue till the Act is not withdrawn from the region and the “assailants” of civilians are not punished.
The NESO leader further said that the Centre must refrain from its “step-motherly” attitude towards the region and acknowledge the fact that the Northeast is an integral part of the country.
Expressing his thoughts, AASU general secretary, Shankarjyoti Baruah reminded that nowhere in the country was such a “black Act” in operation but in the Northeast.
“As a matter of fact, the Union home minister had in the wake of attacks on civilians in the past asserted that a black Act such as AFSPA could be in operation in other parts of the country. So, if the Centre considers the Northeast a part of the country, then this Act has to be withdrawn from here as well,” Baruah said.
“Even the Nagaland Cabinet has taken a resolution to demand repeal of the Act by the Centre…..the region has always been peaceful but the Centre has imposed AFSPA by declaring Northeast states as disturbed areas on the pretext of militancy. It is only after killings such as the one at Oting that the situation becomes tense and takes a turn for the worse,” he said.
COCOMI protest
Members of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) also staged a sit-in protest at Keishampat in Imphal on Thursday condemning the Oting “massacre” and demanding withdrawal of AFSPA from the region.
A minute’s silence was also observed by the protesting members for the eternal peace of the civilians killed in the attack by security forces.
