Skip to content Skip to navigation

Sharmila’s fast may not go in vain


Protest against use of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958, has shifted from extreme northeastern part of the country to the remote northern part. Now, demands are high by the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, to withdraw at least partially, the aforesaid Act, from his state in order to bring peace in the troubled region of the country. It is alleged that in guise of the search for militants, the security personnel are misusing the Act and ‘harassing and torturing’ the innocent people of the state. The Union government is now facing an embarrassing situation due the state’s demand.


Similar demand for withdrawal of the AFSP Act1958 is long pending issue of the Manipur state in the Northeastern region. It has been brought into the notice of the Union and State governments by various intellectuals and organizations, but remained unresolved even after the lapse of eleven years.


It was on 2nd November 2000, at Melom, a small place in Manipur, where the Assam Rifles jawans killed ten innocent people, who were waiting for a bus. A number of cases of rapes, killings and arrests of innocent people, were also alleged against the security personnel under the cover of AFSPA during the search operations. In protest against the use of AFSPA, an Iron lady Irom Sharmila began indefinite hunger strike with effect from 4th November 2000, which has now entered into 12th year. According to her due to the continuance of aforesaid Act, the security men were free to misuse the same to harass and torture the innocent people of the state. The Armed men were also accused of killing innocent people, raping women and arresting a large number of people for no fault of theirs. A number of people are still not traceable, it is alleged.


Instead of looking into the demands of Irom Sharmila, the state administration resorted to the actions to end her hunger strike. She did not bow down under such pressures. Ultimately, the administration took her into custody, but the hunger strike continues. After the rape of a woman by security personnel, the fire of protests broke throughout the state. Twelve women paraded ‘naked’ on the roads in protest. Chittaranjan, a Manipuri youth set himself under fire. Thousands of men and women under a united forum of 32 organizations jumped into the agitation against the ‘Black Law’ defying curfew and demanding establishment of human rights.


Paying due support to the fast of Irom Sharmila, the people in general, intellectuals and various organizations of other northeastern states, including Assam, came out. Even Delhi was not spared. The students of Delhi University, teachers, democratic and human right organizations and intellectuals also came out in Sharmila’s support. The issue was also taken beyond the country to other human rights organizations, but all in vain. No result has come out.


Finally, the Union government constituted a five-member enquiry commission under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court Justice B P Jiwan Reddy. The Commission suggested reviewing the Act and withdrawing AFSPA, 1958 fully. The report was already submitted to the Government on 6th June 2005. The Union government by ignoring the Reddy Commission’s suggestions continued operation of the ‘black law’ throughout the Northeastern region including Assam and Manipur. This resulted in very serious impact in the minds of the people of this region. Now, similar issues are spreading in other parts of the country. In Manipur, thousands of people came out in protest under the banner of united forum of 32 organizations. They defied the curfew orders promulgated in the area. The voice of the people was raised before various human rights organizations of the world. It is surprising, the government did not take action to carry on the suggestions of its own constituted commission’ and have continued the operation as yet. No end to ‘black law’ is in sight as yet. Now, since the demand for withdrawal of the Act is spreading in other parts also, the people of this region may wait for some result in due course.




Author info

Daya Nath Singh's picture

Journalist; Guwahati Press Club office Secretary

Comments

Deepak Joshi's picture

thank you for the article. It's vary sad and unfortunate for us to have this law.

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

Top ULFA (I) leaders figure in updated NRC draft

1 Jan 2018 - 2:21pm | AT News
GUWAHATI: ULFA (I)’s military head Paresh Baruah finds place in the first updated NRC draft released by the Registrar General of India in Guwahati on Sunday midnight. Baruah, a resident of Jeraigaon...

Classes suspended for storm affected schools

17 May 2016 - 5:37pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
All classes were suspended at Chechapani ME School on Tuesday, hardly one and half kilometer adjacent to Kokrajhar district administration following school roof and building ruined by rain-stormy on...

Shankar Baruah cremated

17 Sep 2014 - 11:24pm | AT News
The mortal remains of Shankar Baruah consigned to flames hours after the former DGP shot himself at his residence in Guwahati on Wednesday.His last rites were performed at the Navagraha cremation...

Kaun Banega Chief Minister in Meghalaya

30 Aug 2014 - 10:28pm | Rajiv Roy
In Meghalaya tribesmen torpor, hatred and jealousy takes backseat when it entails change of government. This is visible in tribal politicians from Meghalaya running to New Delhi innumerable times...

Other Contents by Author

Gamusas and Japis are two important items in Assam, which are in much demand throughout the year in the state especially during festival seasons and social functions. These items are demanded by the people to honor the guests and honorable persons during each and every event.  However, it has been found that throughout the festival seasons the supply of locally woven gamusas are not according to demand by the customers. The reason behind it is said to be heavy cost of the locally produced items. On the other hand the weavers and traders from other parts of the country take advantage of supplying gamusas at cheaper rates and make more profit despite spending heavy cost on...
Archaeological Survey of India, Guwahati circle, has been trying to take-up the work of repairing of a broken pillar in the Mandap of Hayagriva Madhav Temple at Hajo for a long time. ASI, Guwahati has informed the media through a press note that one of the pillars of ancient temple was broken in three parts due to rusting of the iron dowels holding each other and the other developed cracks due to the same reason and widened more after the earthquake of May 2015. Hayagriva Madhav Temple is a reconstructed temple during the Koch period. The architectural parts of the earlier temple have been used for reconstruction. Different parts of the temple have been used randomly for making the pillars...
There is a generation gap between the signing of Assam Accord on the Independence Day 1985 and the present generation has to face new challenges to compete with the world class people in all spheres of development. The young people are confused over the airing of old issues which have lasted for long 31 years in absence of any solution. The issues pertaining to the Accord have become irrelevant under the present circumstances. The Assam Accord issue is still haunting and confusing the present generation due to absence of a clear picture. The fate of the Accord is not known to the people in general. A few politicians and intellectuals are trying to raise the issues of the accord from time to...
It is an established fact that a person involved in political activities cannot remain in peace till his cherished dreams are fulfilled. This can be noticed through the recent statements of former Assam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, who has been expressing his views frequently in media against the four months old BJP-led alliance government in the state under the chief minister ship of Sarwanand Sonowal.  He (Gogoi) dares to demand a ‘white paper’ from state government about the steps taken by it to clear the encroachments of forest and other government  lands in the state and also to let the people of the state know, what action it has taken to identify and deport the foreign...
Addressing a huge gathering of residents of Udaypur, Jonakpur and Birubari at Udaypur Kali Mandir complex on Sunday, July 3, 2016, East Guwahati Assembly Member, Siddharth Bhattacharjee, emphasized the need of implementing the vision document of development as envisaged by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at the function organized by Udaypur Yuva Sangha to felicitate him on his success in the recently concluded polls to the state Assembly, he conveyed his thanks to the people of the area for showing their confidence in him. He assured the people that he would not let their confidence go in vain. The meeting was presided over by Dr Phani Borah. Senior citizen of the locality Kartik...
Hardly a few days ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Alliance has taken the reign of Assam administration the results of efforts made by Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi to bring back black money to the state coffer, has started recently with the arrest of Dhemaji Divisional Forest Officer, Mahat Chandra Talukdar by anti-corruption department. For a long time the reports of wildlife crimes were in the air, but the previous state administration ruled by Congress Party under the three-terms  leadership of Tarun Gogoi did not try to take any action. The former Chief Minister Gogoi was under a wrong impression that the people who gave him a...
A study conducted by B Boruah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, has revealed that during a decade from 2001-02 to 2011-12, cancer cases in the north-eastern part of the country have gone up from 5,404 to 8,708. A campaign, namely, Cycle 4 ride can help control this dreaded disease. In order to raise awareness to fight cancer a lady, namely, Marcellna Sangma, is going to lead a Biker Mission to 600 kms long stretch from Guwahati to Bum La Pass, near Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. The ride is scheduled to be flagged off by Dr Amar Chandra Kataki, Director, B Boruah Cancer Institute, on April 21, 2016.Expressing her traumatic experience with cancer, Sangma, who was a cancer patient a decade...
Being disturbed since the first phase of polling for Assam Assembly on April 4 last, the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi is finding it difficult to remember the history of Assam agitation propelled by All Assam Students Union (AASU) since the year 1979 to the Independence Day of 1985, resulting in the Assam Accord which was signed between the Assam Government and the movement leaders in presence of erstwhile prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi. Heavy polling beyond 85 percent of the electorate in the second phase also made Gogoi to think over the majority of young and new voters were not the ‘beneficiaries of getting blankets, yarn and mosquito nets’. They are young, energetic, literate and...
Continuing campaigns for Assam Assembly elections have confused the Assam intellectuals to raise vital issues before the future state legislators and improve the quality of political atmosphere affecting the entire society for quite some time. Almost all political parties have started ‘derogatory’ comments against their rivals for attracting the electorates by their acts and objectives about which they are themselves ignorant. The main reason behind such interpretation is lack of knowledge about the real issues on which the political parties are campaigning. Assam as a state of multi-lingual and religious people continued to be disturbed since the year1979, when several organizations under...
Long awaited North East Graduate Congress, an initiative of Education Research Development Foundation (ERDF) is going to be held from February 26 to 28, 2016. This is the only graduate congress in India being organized by University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) in association with RIST and supported by the State Bank of India (SBI). The venue of the congress is the USTM campus at 9th mile, Khanapara. Addressing the media persons in Guwahati on February 14, 2016, the USTM spokesperson informed that the three days congress is aimed to enhance all round development and bring out the capabilities of future graduates through various life skill processes to bring out  their...