The Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur and the United Nations (CSCHR) has urged the chief minister of Manipur to join the other chief ministers of Northeast states in mounting pressure on the Centre for repealing AFSPA.
CSCHR joined the condemnation against the indiscriminate killing of unarmed coal mine labourers by the armed forces and subsequent repression of the protestors using lethal weapons, resulting in the death of at least 16 civilians and injuries to a score of others in Nagaland, CSCHR said in a release.
“The Oting Massacre is not an isolated incident but it is yet another manifestation of the consistent pattern of atrocities committed by the Indian military deployed under the AFSPA in the Northeast region for more than half a century,” it stated, citing the infamous Heirangoithong massacre, Operation Bluebird (Oinam massacre), Makokchung massacre, RMC massacre, Malom massacre and others.
Mentioning that the unfortunate Mon incident has rekindled the longstanding demand for the repeal of AFSPA, it stated that all the official committees and commissions looking into the issue have consistently recommended the repeal.
The United Nations human rights mechanism including all the relevant Treaty Bodies, Thematic Special Procedures as well as the Universal Periodic Review have recommended the repeal of AFSPA as it grossly violates the most basic human rights, the release added.
It stated that it is encouraging to note the chief ministers of Nagaland as well as that of Meghalaya have reverberated that voice of sanity to repeal this draconian law, and the issue has now echoed in the ongoing Parliament session in New Delhi.
However, it is shocking and surprising by the stoic silence maintained by the chief minister of Manipur at this critical juncture after all he built his political career using the anti-AFSPA movement, it added.
The release further urged the state government to put its weight for the repeal of AFSPA in order to fulfill the long-standing demand of the people of Manipur.
