Imphal: The All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has announced today to call a 24-hour “total shutdown” with effect from 6 pm of August 3 till 6 pm of August 4 in the hill districts of Manipur.
In a statement issued today, the ATSUM said, “Expressing strong resentment against the state government’s lackadaisical attitude towards the wish and desire of the tribal people for tabling of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) recommended ‘The Manipur (Hill Areas) ADC Bill 2021’ in the ongoing 2nd Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly and the deceitful act of the incumbent HAC members in deviating from its previous position, All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) is constraint to call 24 hours total shutdown with effect from 6 pm of August 3, 2022 to 6 pm of August 4, 2022 in the entire hill districts of the state.” The apex tribal student body of Manipur said that the total shutdown will be followed by “intense forms” of agitations from August 5, 2022.
The ATSUM said that, in its continued “selfless and relentless efforts” for strengthening the Autonomous District Councils as mandated by the Article 371C of the Constitution of India read with the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Orders 1972, is compelled to resort to agitation demanding the tabling of the HAC recommended “The Manipur (Hill Areas) Autonomous District Councils Bill 2021” in the ongoing 2nd Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly.
According to the ATSUM, the decision to call the bandh is in pursuance of the resolutions adopted in the 2nd ATSUM General Assembly, 2022 at Haipi village, Sadar Hills and resolution adopted at subsequent meeting of the ATSUM, the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), the Kuki Students’ Organisation-General Headquarters (KSO-GHQ), federating units of ATSUM on July 28, 2022 and the virtual meeting with federating units of ATSUM on July 31, 2022 to demand for tabling of the HAC recommended “The Manipur (Hill Areas) ADC Bill 2021” in the ongoing 2nd Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly.
The ATSUM, therefore, appealed to all private and government educational institutes, government offices, business establishments, private vehicles, truckers and other transporters and the general public for cooperation. It added that essential services like medical, power, media, water supply will be exempted from the purview of the total shutdown.
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