AFSPA, 1958 revisited
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: January 31, 2012 -

India, the largest democracy in the world with a constitution which guarantees various fundamental rights to its citizens, has on many occasions and instances failed to live up to its ideals and ensure these rights.

While the country is much appreciated for its achievements in science and technology, its robust economic growth, a stable polity with a credible judiciary, a vigilant media, there are areas in which it has fallen short and have been roundly criticized for that.

Among those areas are its record on human rights, corruption and the ever increasing disparity in income distribution.

In what has become a regular feature, the Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch, one of the foremost independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights, in its latest World Report has once again strongly censured the Government of India for its failure to check human rights violations.

Terming the agenda of government of India as dominated by continuing insurgency and armed conflict in several regions, including Jammu and Kashmir, Maoist-afflicted areas in central India, and Manipur and other parts of the volatile northeast, the Human Rights Watch World Report 2011, expressed concern over impunity for abuses committed by security forces while dealing with these armed conflicts.

Coming specifically to Manipur, the report blames both the separatists and security forces for having committed "serious abuses against civilians" and that the security forces continue "to operate under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)".

The report also points out that "no members of the security forces were held accountable".

Despite activists in all of the conflict areas and in major cities demanding "repeal of the AFSPA and a larger commitment by officials to holding security forces accountable for abuse", "repeal efforts were stymied by opposition from the army and extreme nationalist political parties".

The report is especially relevant to Manipur, and particularly now, in the context of the recently held the elections to the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly.

All the political parties which contested election have committed themselves, in their manifestos, to removing the AFSPA, 1958 from the whole of Manipur if they happen to form the government.

Even the Congress party promised to remove this highly unpopular and hated Act but subject to the improvement in the law and order situation in the state.

We will have to wait and and see if these political parties come good on their promises.

As for the people of Manipur, the desire to see the back of this act is there in no uncertain terms.

People of this state have been protesting against this Act since the day it was imposed here.

The eleven year long fast of Irom Sharmila demanding the removal of this Act has now managed to bring to the notice of not just the people of this country but to people all across the globe, the existence of such a draconian law in a country which prides itself in its democratic credentials.

It is high time the government of India as also all major political parties in the country realize that such a law has no place in a democratic polity like India.

Safeguarding human rights of its citizens should be the foremost priority of the government of India if it truly stands by the democratic ideals it professes.