Irom Sharmila
Imphal, Dec. 19 : Human rights activists in Manipur rejected a proposal by the Union home ministry for amending the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to make it more ‘humane’.
Reports said the proposal for the amendment was likely to be placed before the cabinet committee on security in their next meeting. The home ministry resubmitted the proposal to the committee after the latter sent it back following strong opposition from the defence ministry. The home ministry submitted the first proposal three months ago, but resubmitted it without making any changes.
The proposal says arrest warrants would have be secured in advance and grievance cells would be set up to address citizens’ complaints against the armed forces, sources said. Currently, the act allows the armed forces to search and arrest without warrants.
The home ministry also proposed to abolish the power given to the armed forces, which allows them to open fire at will, causing needless deaths.
“We will accept nothing less than repeal of the act. Whether amended or not, the Act will allow the armed forces to continue violating human rights and killing people as long as it is there,” said Irom Singhajit, the elder brother of activist Irom Sharmila, who has been on a hunger strike since November 2000 demanding scrapping of the act.
Singhajit, who is also the managing trustee of Just Peace Foundation, Imphal, said his sister was firm about the repeal of the Act and she would not accept the amendment proposal. Sharmila had rejected an appeal by chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh in 2004 to call off the fast after announcing withdrawal of the act from seven Assembly constituencies within the Imphal municipal area.
On November 10 this year, Sharmila reiterated her stand that she would continue her fast until the act was repealed.
Babloo Loitongbam, executive director of Human Rights Alert, also said amendment of the act in any form was not acceptable to the people of Manipur. “The Centre should listen clearly to the voice of the people. We are asking for a ‘repeal’ of the Act and not amendment,” he said.
The United Peoples Front, Imphal reacted strongly to the move saying that it was an invitation to the people of Northeast to start a more intense agitation. “Our demand is repeal and not amendment. The attitude of India towards the people of the Northeast is stepmotherly,” Oinam Bikramjit, general secretary of the front said.
However, Rakesh Meihoubam, a high court lawyer and executive director of Human Rights Law Network, Imphal said he welcomed the amendment. “Something is better than nothing. If the licence to kill people is gone, it is well and good. They (armed forces) can arrest people with arrest warrants,” he said.