Meitei Chanuna - Remove AFSPA 1958 from Manipur

Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 The most notorious phrase in Manipur today is the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958. The phrase is identified with terror, arrest, killing, rape and what not. Thanks to the abuse of the Act by law enforcing agencies. The Act has been dubbed as 'Draconian Law or 'Black Law' by many - the lawyers, intellectuals included. In the words of Ch Nodiachand Singh, president of Manipur Bar Association, the Act is comparable to the 'Tapta' of folk tales in creating terror among the people. Every child was afraid of 'Tapta' even though nobody knew who the 'Tapta' was. Many are not aware of the clauses of the act and the do's and don't's to be exercised by the security forces but the Act has created a fear psychosis among the general public. The Act was introduced in the Hill Area of Manipur in the sixties to suppress the then 'Naga Hostiles'. In the late seventies and early eighties, the Act was extended to the whole of Manipur during the reign of Shaiza Ministry and RK Dorendra Govt. From then on each and every subsequent Govt allowed the continuance of this 'Draconian Act' until today. Not a single Chief Minister nor even a legislature gave a serious thought of reviewing the imposition of the Act. It is not important who imposed the draconi-an law to the State. What needs to be discussed is what prompted the then Govt to declare the whole of Manipur as a disturbed area so that the army was given a free hand (or licen-ce to kill) under AFSPA. Courtesy: By M Dhaneshwar Singh More details: www.manipuronline.com/Features/August2004/afspa10_1.htm