The chief minister of Manipur has the power to remove the ‘Disturbed Area’ tag from the state, and the Centre will not forcefully keep AFSPA, 1958 if he removes it, said former Lok Sabha MP and human rights activist Kim Gangte Kipgen.
In a press meet held at her residence located at Langol on Wednesday, Kim Gangte said that the entire Northeast states, particularly Manipur had been facing human rights violations by the security forces after AFSPA was imposed under the pretext of counter insurgency.
She had raised the issue of AFSPA in the parliament during her tenure as a member of parliament, she claimed. “Many unfortunate incidents had taken place in Manipur. The AFSPA has alienated the people of the state. Why is it still being imposed in the Northeast states?” she added.
In those days when the draconian act was first imposed, there were no other insurgency groups other than the NSCN, she further said. “After it was imposed, the number of insurgency groups mushroomed in the Northeast states. Therefore, is there any difference between imposing or repealing the act?” she questioned.
She wants to ask the Central government how they know that the Northeast states would face insurgency in future. She questioned why the Central government is not imposing the act at the Maoist affected areas, and inquired what kind of act is protecting the civilians if the act is protecting the security personnel, Kim asked.
In the Northeast, the Central government is implementing the act which was utilised by the British rule in India, she said. “If the act was meant for controlling insurgency, then why insurgency is still rampant, it means the act is useless. The act is being imposed to alienate the civilians,” she alleged.
Demanding that AFSPA must be removed immediately from the entire Northeast states, she pointed out that insurgency from the Northeast states could be finally removed when the economic, social and political issues in the region are resolved. “These issues would not be solved by killing civilians; it can be solved through politicians,” Kim Gangte said.
Security forces are there to guard the border of the country, not to solve civilian issues, she further said. There is a difference between the insurgency in Northeast states and Jammu and Kashmir, Kim added.
She further said there used to be heavy protests and agitations in the state and the chief minister himself was against AFSPA, and insisted on its repeal. He knows the general sentiment of the state as well as of the northeast people, she said. Why is he still allowing the act to stay in the state, she further questioned while asserting that the chief minister has the power to remove the act.
