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Indian Government still faltering in Manipur – it needs a deep rooted political and compassionate solution
Manipur is about to rattle again. Manipuris need to under they is proud integral part of India. Their heritage and culture is tied to India and only India since the time of Lord Krishna thousand of years back. India needs to provide a compassionate and political solution to Manipur. If that is not done, the so called militants will take advantage of the situation and continue to disrupt the life in the state. Manipuris should be given importance in Manipur and in India – bring all in India to the mainstream prosperity.
According to media sources, at least 2,000 people marched through the streets of the capital of Manipur on Saturday appealing for curbs on the Indian army's powers and an end to human rights abuses.
They were asking the Indian government to repeal the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which gives the army sweeping powers to search, arrest and even kill suspected militants.
London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International says those powers have fostered a climate where security forces "commit human rights abuses with impunity".
Heavily armed police and soldiers flanked the demonstrators who shouted slogans and held placards saying "Repeal AFSPA" and "Protect Human Rights".
Amnesty's Indian branch organised Saturday's march to launch an international campaign to persuade India to repeal the law.
AFSPA was introduced to combat armed separatist militancy in northeast India, and protect the army from prosecution. It was later extended to cover Jammu and Kashmir.
Opponents of the law say the abuses committed under it, including torture, rape and murder, have only fuelled insurgencies in the seven states of northeast India, which are connected to the rest of the country by a thin strip of land.
Last year, Imphal saw two months of protests against AFSPA, with hundreds of demonstrators beaten and arrested.
The protests were sparked by the death -- and alleged rape -- in army custody of 32-year-old Manorama Devi.
The army says Manorama was shot while trying to escape and says it needs the law to give it legal protection while soldiers risk their lives fighting militants.
The Indian government set up an "expert committee" to examine AFSPA after the Manorama scandal. On his Independence Day address on August 15, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said its report was being studied but gave no hint of repeal.
"We will take all necessary steps so that there are no violations of human rights under this act," he said.
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