Imphal, March 23: Amidst strong objection to the continued imposition of Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 in Manipur from representatives/leaders of various Naga organisations, the proposed visit of the five member AFSPA Review Committee for a public hearing at Senapati district headquarters today failed to materialise.

The literally starved naga bodies� representatives also flayed the district administration for conveying the cancellation of the visit owing to bad weather at the eleventh hour.

A number of Naga social workers and public leaders streamed in at Senapati district headquarters from around 9 am today.

After waiting for hours for the review panel members to arrive, the DC of the district informed them that the team would not be able to arrive due to the bad weather.

The cancellation of the public hearing was conveyed after 12 pm, which understandably left the public leaders fuming with rage.

The panel members headed by its Chairman justice Jeevan Reddy were scheduled to touch down at Senapati district headquarters on a chopper from Dimapur at 9.30 am today for the �public hearing,� which the panel had been conducting since the Committee was formed to submit its suggestions.

With strict security cordon around the landing spot under the supervision of DC VK Dewangan and SP VR Rai, all Naga NGOs concerned and several individuals waited for the chopper�s arrival with most of them reported to have arrived without taking their meals expecting that the team will stick to the tight schedule.

Till around 11.30 am the two district officials insisted they too were �waiting for the team� only to culminate with the DC conveying at around 12.30 pm of the aborted visit citing bad weather.

Informed sources endorsing the bad weather factor for cancellation of the visit, however, maintained that the Review panel had reached Lairou hills, only a few kilometres from Senapati HQs travelling by road which further raised expectations of the people who had gathered to air their views to the team.

The DC later negated the information saying the Review members had moved back to Dimapur, after their chopper landed at Kohima, to head for New delhi.

The officer also contended that he was informed of the turn around late.

The officer explained that the information was given to the gathering the minute he received it.

Expressing anguish over incompetence of district authorities to cull information on the important visit united Naga Council president M Puni commented "We are not satisfied with the manner in which the district authorities particularly the DC having failed to update information from his Nagaland counter-parts.

This shows absolute absence of coordination bet- ween the two neighbouring States regarding the very important programme for which we have been waiting to join." On AFSPA, Puni ridiculed the very notion of retaining the Act in the State highlighting that when it was enacted in the region only a few underground organisations existed which has swelled to over 80 vividly underlining the fact that imposition of AFSPA had proved to be counter-productive.

Moreover, besides multiplying the number of UG outfits imposition of the Act had led to large-scale violation of human rights perpetrated by security force personnel thereby leaving no other alternative rather than demand repealing of the draconian Act, observed the UNC leader.

Naga people�s Movement for Human Rights convenor Paul Leo questioned rational of retaining AFSPA when POTA could be scrapped with disdain.

"This indicates that the Nation does not care for its citizens staying far from the mainland.

The fate of the North easterners are being decided by the security personnel coming from the mainland, he said equivocally demanding immediate removal of the Act.

Former president of Naga Women�s Union Manipur Dr Gina Sangkham referring to unbridled powers exercised by the men in uniform under the immunity granted by AFSPA also lamented noncompliance to dos and don�ts prescribed by the Supreme Court for security personnel�s conduct.

In the meantime, a num-ber of womenfolk demonstrated at Kalapahar, Sapermeina, Motbung and Sekmai areas along the NH-39 to denounce Central Government�s constitution of the AFSPA Review Committee against the unanimous aspiration of the Manipur people to discard the repressive Act.

Banners and postcards inscribed �Don�t play divide and rule policy�, �Repeal AFSPA immediately�, �No need to review�, etc were put at the agitation sites.

meanwhile, responding to Apunba Lup�s boycott call of the AFSPA review Committee team for the public hearing students left their classrooms to stage sit-in-protest at various locations today.

Students of ITI, Takyel; Don Bosco School, Chingmeirong; and Saint Peters� High School, Kwakeithel took part in the sit-in-protests in front of their respective institutions.

In another development, Apunba Lup volunteers locked the main gate of Little Flower School, Sangaiprou allegedly due to the school authorities not heeding the boycott call.

LFS authorities expressed strong resentment at the Lup activists locking up the gate at around 11.30 am.

The school authorities maintained that due to insistence of students� guardians not to allow their wards beyond the institution premises during school hours in the aftermath of kidnapping and subsequent murder of Lungnila Elizabeth the Lup activists were conveyed that the guardians had to be consulted before joining the agitation.

After obtaining the guardians� consent the school students may stage the protest tomorrow but the act of locking the gate even after disclosing constrains of the school authorities is regrettable, they said.

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