Senapati: The All Naga Students Association, Manipur (ANSAM) vehemently opposed the continuous arbitrary imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) by the government of India particularly in the Naga homeland.
In a press communique issued by the Information & Publicity of ANSAM, it stated that the extension of AFSPA to the entire state of Manipur as disturbed areas excluding 19 police stations in Imphal valley for a period of another six months with effect from 1st October 2023 on the pretext of “Law and Order” while the Nagas are experiencing relative peace in Naga areas unlike other parts of the state and termed very unfortunate and highly questionable.
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The association while opposing the extension of the draconian law, AFSPA in the Naga homeland, ANSAM put on record that, ever since the promulgation of the said infamous act, Naga people have been experiencing undeclared war where the innocent Naga villagers were terrorized by the Indian Army even the women and children were not spared. The Naga people have been terribly affected by the torrential brutalities unleashed by the Indian security forces with the impunity power sanctioned by the savage Act. Innocent Naga people were used as an object of soft targets on the pretext of maintaining law and order. The act is not merely a brutalization of security forces but a legitimization of violence which is draconian in nature, anti-people in spirit and a gross violation of human rights, it said adding that such devilish laws should not have any place in the present modern era.
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The Nagas are peace-loving people and have been maintaining peace and harmony in the Naga homeland since the signing of the Indo-Naga Ceasefire in 1997 which paved the way for the signing of the Framework Agreement between the government of India (GoI) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) on 3rd August 2015 recognized the unique history and situations of the Nagas and both entities have committed to start a new relationship based on the sharing of sovereign power, but the blatant and continuous imposition of AFSPA in the Naga homeland negates the spirit of the Indo-Naga peace process which is at the highest level and reflects the insincerity on the part of GoI in resolving the longest political issues in Southeast Asia, it mentioned.
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The association implores the GoI as a nation of the largest democracy to uphold the principles of democracy, justice and human rights by repealing the contentious AFSPA, 1958 and expediting the Indo-Naga peace talks to a logical conclusion in the true spirit of the 3rd August 2015, Framework Agreement recognizing the Naga flag, constitution and integration as an inalienable right of the Nagas to usher in an enduring peace in the Northeast region, the release said.
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