Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 19, 2010:
As a part of the ongoing Gandhi to Sharmila (Irom Chanu) Campaign that began from January 30, Manipuris settled in Hongkong and Seoul would take out a protest rally on March 8 while a sit-in-protest is being organised at London, on the same day, said a Just Peace Foundation release.
The campaign launched at Manipur Press Club at 3 pm of january 30 has so far covered Arunachal Pradesh where public meeting, penal discussion and photo exhibition was held from February 6 till 9 on the issue of AFSPA and Sharmila's continuous peaceful agitation for repealing the draconian act.
on February 16 a public meeting was organised jointly by People Vigilance Committee on Human Rights and 32 other NGOs at Banarasi in addition to AFSPA being the issue at the ongoing International VIBGYOR film festival at Trichur which will continue till February 21. According to Irom Singhajit, Managing Trustee of the Foundation and elder brother of the anti-AFSPA campaigner Sharmila, the 45-day long campaign is to present before the global community atrocities committed by the security forces.
Apart from local and national rights groups pledging/extending support to the campaign, people of Manipuri origins staying abroad have conveyed of joining the protest campaign at their respective places.
'The main objective of our campaign is against criminalisation of Sharmila, who follows the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, by the authorities," Singhajit said.
It is informed that plans are afoot to sustain the campaign through distribution of pamplets in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar from March 8 till 14, where protest rallies would also be organised on the concluding day.
Relay hunger strike at PDA Complex with the participation of various human rights groups and members of Asha Parivar, staging play at the home constituency (Trichur) of the Union Defence Minister AK Antony on March 16, public meeting at Bhubaneswar (march 6), spot painting competition on th subject theme at Kongpal (March 8) and rally at Imphal for formal conclusion of the campaign phase on March 14 are the other form of protests being planned, added the Foundation statement.