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The North East Students' Organisation (NESO), the banner organization of all the major students' unions in the seven Northeastern states – Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland, has launched a fresh region wide agitation to press for its demand to repeal the 'draconian' Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act ,1958. This Act provides sweeping powers to security forces fighting insurgents in the region and allegedly precipitated many cases of human rights violation and aberrations in the region for over five decades.
The NESO has started its fresh agitation in solidarity with Manipur's iron lady, Irom Sanu Sharmila who has been on hunger strike for over ten years demanding scrapping of the AFSPA. The activists of the NESO would wear black cloth on their mouth to register protest against the continuation of the AFSPA in the region to protest the central government's inaction defying the mass protests against the Act. As part of the first phase of the fresh agitation, NESO activists staged a massive demonstration here on Monday under banners having pictures of Irom Sharmila.
"The Government of India which buckled under the hunger-strike resorted to by Gandhian leader Anna Hazare against corruption, has adopted a grossly discriminatory attitude towards Manipur's iron lady Irom Sharmila on fast since November 2, 2000 demanding scrapping of the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 that has been in force in the North East for about five decades," stated NESO chairman Dr Samujjal Bhatacharrya.
The NESO has expressed its anguish over the Centre's lukewarm attitude towards fasting Sharmila and termed it 'inhuman' and lambasted the Centre for adopting an overall attitude of treating the people of North East as second class citizens of the country.
NESO chairman Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya and secretary general Gunjum Haider jointly said, "The New Delhi government, national level political leaders, bureaucrats in the Centre, the national media and prominent intellectuals of the country have failed to take proper notice of Sharmila's unique non-violent struggle because they believe that there is no Indian beyond Kolkata. We are not going to tolerate such discriminatory attitude."
"Nowhere in the world a lady has been on fast for more than a decade for the causes of her fellow people and the Government of India is keeping her under judicial custody in a hospital in Imphal. It is outrageous," Dr Bhattacharrya said.
Sharmila, who has been on fast, has been arrested repeatedly and detained under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to commit suicide). She is being kept under judicial custody in a hospital.
The North East Students' Organisation (NESO), the banner organization of all the major students' unions in the seven Northeastern states – Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland, has launched a fresh region wide agitation to press for its demand to repeal the 'draconian' Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act ,1958. This Act provides sweeping powers to security forces fighting insurgents in the region and allegedly precipitated many cases of human rights violation and aberrations in the region for over five decades.
The NESO has started its fresh agitation in solidarity with Manipur's iron lady, Irom Sanu Sharmila who has been on hunger strike for over ten years demanding scrapping of the AFSPA. The activists of the NESO would wear black cloth on their mouth to register protest against the continuation of the AFSPA in the region to protest the central government's inaction defying the mass protests against the Act. As part of the first phase of the fresh agitation, NESO activists staged a massive demonstration here on Monday under banners having pictures of Irom Sharmila.
"The Government of India which buckled under the hunger-strike resorted to by Gandhian leader Anna Hazare against corruption, has adopted a grossly discriminatory attitude towards Manipur's iron lady Irom Sharmila on fast since November 2, 2000 demanding scrapping of the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 that has been in force in the North East for about five decades," stated NESO chairman Dr Samujjal Bhatacharrya.
The NESO has expressed its anguish over the Centre's lukewarm attitude towards fasting Sharmila and termed it 'inhuman' and lambasted the Centre for adopting an overall attitude of treating the people of North East as second class citizens of the country.
NESO chairman Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya and secretary general Gunjum Haider jointly said, "The New Delhi government, national level political leaders, bureaucrats in the Centre, the national media and prominent intellectuals of the country have failed to take proper notice of Sharmila's unique non-violent struggle because they believe that there is no Indian beyond Kolkata. We are not going to tolerate such discriminatory attitude."
"Nowhere in the world a lady has been on fast for more than a decade for the causes of her fellow people and the Government of India is keeping her under judicial custody in a hospital in Imphal. It is outrageous," Dr Bhattacharrya said.
Sharmila, who has been on fast, has been arrested repeatedly and detained under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to commit suicide). She is being kept under judicial custody in a hospital.