Senapati: While outrightly rejecting the extension and enforcement of the Armed Forced Special Power Act (AFSPA), 1958 in Naga homeland, the office of the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur(ANSAM) condemned in the strongest terms against the alleged indiscriminate firing of gun by the troopers of 6 Assam Rifles upon the Naga women folks at Chingkao Village in Tamenglong district on March 14, 2024 thereby creating a nuisance atmosphere of fragile peace in the area.
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In a condemnation note issued from the Information & Publicity Wing of the ANSAM, it stated that such archaic attempt and unlawful activities towards the innocent Nagas are the crystal evidences of Indian armed machineries misusing its power under the draconian law of AFSPA, 1958 towards the innocent Nagas taking advantage of the incompatibility of the AFSPA with Domestic Law and International Law granting impunity to the army officers and perpetrators of the crimes from prosecution with judicial remedy running at a peacefully slow pace and the condemnation becoming like a tradition and lip service at present.
Despite the other instances of abuse of AFSPA power and the numerous protests sprinkled for the revocation and repealing of this draconian law in Naga homeland, the release mentioned that AFSPA’s existence flouts and the denial of the Government of India to hear the voice of the people has created a considerable room for human rights violation under the pretext of protection by its enforcement in peace areas.
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It is pertinent to mention that the Nagas have been maintaining peace by extending fullest cooperation to the called for peace with all encompassing efforts to restore the situation back to its normalcy during this volatile situation. The notoriety and intentional attempt of the Assam Rifles towards the Nagas by indiscriminate gun firing on women folks at Chingkao village is highly condemnable and questionable as to why they failed to intervene for peace between the two warring communities and targeted the Nagas who have been maintaining peace in the state, it questioned.
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ANSAM expressed its strong resentment against such intentional attempt of the Government of India and such senseless sponsored violence and apathy of Assam Rifles towards the Nagas should not be repeated in the near future.
ANSAM further demand that the draconian law imposed on Nagas under the AFSPA, 1958 should be repealed from Naga homeland and India should uphold the principle of democracy as known to be the World’s largest democratic country.
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