The Manipur Congress on Saturday demanded that N Biren Singh-helmed BJP government seek the repeal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 and withdraw the disturbed area status from the state.
The Manipur chief minister should join his counterparts in Meghalaya and Nagaland in their demand for repealing AFSPA, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee working president K Meghachandra Singh said. He also demanded that the state cabinet take a resolution to the effect.
He said that Biren Singh had said at every election campaign meeting that the law and order has improved in the state during his regime. "If it is so then his (Biren Singh's) government should withdraw the disturbed area status in Manipur. It should also ask the Centre to repeal AFSPA from the north eastern states," he told reporters.
"It should be easy for the BJP government in the state and its allies National Peoples Party and Naga Peoples Front as a part of 'double engine' (same party in power as at the Centre) government," he said.
The disturbed area status has been declared by Manipur government from time to time under the Armed Forces Special Power Act, (AFSPA), 1958. The Biren Singh government had in December last year extended the disturbed area status in the state for a year barring Imphal municipal area.
It was the erstwhile Congress regime in the state which had withdrawn the disturbed areas status in the Imphal municipal area, Meghachandra Singh said.
Referring to the killing of 13 civilians by security personnel in Nagaland's Mon district, the Congress leader said that such incidents had taken place in Manipur too in the past. "It might be repeated in Manipur as the armed forces are protected by AFSPA," he added.
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