Save Irom Sharmila Solidarity Campaign reaches Imphal
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, October 27 2011: The Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign launched by a 21 member team of the National Alliance for People's Movement (NAPM) starting from Srinagar on October 16 demanding the repeal of AFSPA reached Imphal this morning.

The team which is being backed by a number of different civil society groups, after having covered 12 different states reached Imphal today at around 11:15.They were given a warm welcome by the members of the Sharmila Kanba Lup and members of other various CSOs who were waiting for them ahead of their arrival.

They also organized a peace rally which started from North AOC and marched via Minuthong, New Checkon, Porompat crossing, Ayangpalli and culminated at Akkatren ground, Porompat, at the birthplace of Irom Chanu Sharmila, where a public meeting was held.

Speaking on the occasion, Alban Pathak, who led the team to Imphal, said that the NAPM have been pressiong the Chief Minister of the state to repeal AFSPA for quite long.

If the team is denied permission to meet Sharmila Chanu they will stage a hunger strike tomorrow on the occasion of Ningol Chakkouba JN Hospital where Irom Chanu Sharmila is being forcedly nose fed.

Santosh from Bihar who was among the others in the campaign said that gun cannot bring peace in the state.

We should stop this gun culture and try to bring peace in the state through peace talks.

The team will further proceed to other parts of the country and will spread the message of Sharmila with untiring efforts.

The save Sharmila campaign rally was flagged off from Srinagar on October 16, many social activists, including team Anna member Medha Patkar, Magsasay awardee Sandeep Pandey and many other human right activists from across the country took part in the campaign.

The team along with its supporters mostly students organized a rally in the national capital on October 19 but they were allegedly assaulted by Aam Hindustani, a right wing body.

Five students were wounded in the scuffle and Delhi police also detained more than hundred other supporters of the campaign.

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