Apunba Lup lambasts UPA government for not repealing AFSPA

Imphal, Jun 13 (UNI) The Working Committee of the Apunba Lup (WCAL) has described the continued imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA) in Manipur by the Union government as "continuance of military rule in Manipur." The WCAL said in a statement today that the Central government had turned down the recommendation of the Review Committee to repeal the act.

The Committee was formed after a massive protest in Manipur in 2004 in the aftermath of the alleged rape and killing of Th Manorama allegedly by the personnel of 17 Assam Rilfes.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who visited the state four months after the incident in November, 2004, had appealed to the people to wait for the recommendation of the Committee.

The WCAL said the Committee was a ploy to "befool" the people of the region. The AFSPA review committee had recommended repeal of the Act and replacement by Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

It alleged that the POTA was repealed by the UPA government on the ground that it might result in violation of human rights but in the North Eastern states, specially Manipur, under AFSPA for the past 50 years, people had been killed and women raped.

Why the Union government was treating the people of the region on a different level, it asked and said though India claimed to be a democratic country, there was "military rule in Manipur".

It called upon all the people to join in the movement to demand repeal of the act.

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