Dimapur, Oct 11 (MExN): The Naga Students Federation (NSF) today extended full support to “Iron Lady” Irom Sharmila of Manipur in her hunger-unto-death strike demanding repeal of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958. Irom Sharmila, from Imphal, has been hunger-striking for the last 6-7 years demanding repeal of the draconian law.
The NSF, expressing strong resentment that India, even after 50 years of independence, has failed miserably in recognizing human rights and instead, exploited and subjugated the people with ‘the guns and boots of military might’. “Time and again, people of the North East region had demanded for the withdrawal of inhuman draconian law called Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958. However under the pretext of ‘disturbed area’, the Act becomes automatically operative in our region, giving extraordinary powers to the armed forces and thereby depriving the minimum democracy for human existence” lamented an NSF release issued through General Secretary K Elu Ndang.
(Mention may be made here that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was passed on September 11, 1958 by the Parliament of India. Certain special powers were conferred on the armed forces in ‘disturbed areas’ in the North Eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), in an area that is declared “Disturbed Area”, security forces are empowered to (a) fire upon or use force even if it causes death (b) arrest person(s) without a warrant and use “necessary force” on mere suspicion of certain offences or is suspected of having done so and (c) to enter and search any premise in order to make such arrests. Army officers have legal immunity for their actions. There can be no prosecution, suit or any other legal proceeding against individuals/entities acting under that law. Nor is the government’s judgment on why an area is found to be disturbed subject to judicial review under the AFSPA).
The NSF stated that various civil societies and NGOs of the North East have been demanding repeal of the act which, however, went unheeded “compelling a humble soul like Irom Sharmila to undertake this painstaking journey of hunger strike to liberate the people of the region from the clutches of the dragon”. The Federation extended its full support to Sharmila’s stand. “The Naga Students Federation stands in solidarity with Sharmila who has been undergoing hunger strike for the last six years in Imphal, Manipur and now has extended her strike to Jantar Mantar, New Delhi demanding for repeal of the draconian act. The federation extends all its unflinching support towards here noble venture for the peaceful co-existence of all human races” the NSF stated.
