The Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, Mar 3: Extending support to the struggle of people of the state against AFSPA-1958, Kerala, a southern state of the country will observed "Manipur Solidarity Day" on March 7 and 8.
Kerala extended its solidarity to people of Manipur after hearing suffering stories of the state meted out by the security forces under AFPSA-1958 said delegates who participated in the South India campaign to repeal AFSPA while informing the observation of two solidarity day at a press conference held at Manipur Press Club today.
The delegation comprising of members of the Apunba Manipur Kanba Ima Lup, AMKIL and Human Rights Alert, HRA have been campaigning with the grass root people`s organisation for the repeal of the Act in the state of Kerala and Tamil Nadu during their five days tour in these two states from February 15 to 20 last.
The solidarity to the people of the state was extended after the delegates tell a series of events which the people of the state suffered under the Act meted out by the security forces, said Kh Anandini Devi, vice president of AMKIL who took part in the delegation in the campaign organised jointly with the Costal Women`s Forum, Kerala.
The delegation relayed the unending stories of how Th Manorama was killed by the security forces, the lone struggle of the Irom Sharmila by fasting for the last seven years, how security men killed innocent people under the shadow of the AFSPA-1958.
During the campaign films screened in the Vibgyor international film festival on Sharmila`s struggle for repeal of AFSPA and excessive acts of security forces in the people struggle for repeal of the same were shown to the people.
As a result of the campaign, a memorandum signed by more than 10 thousand people was also submitted to the Union defense minister, AK Anthony on March 2 last, Anandini told.
Observing that the problems facing by the people of Manipur was known less by the people of other states of the country, Rakesh of HRA said, it was only after Sharmila staged her fasting at Jantra Mantra in New Delhi that people of other states came to know about the state.
In the conference which other delegates of who took part in the campaign attended Th Sakhi Devi, president AMKIL expressed strong condemnation the killing of innocent people by the security personnel after forcibly taken away from their homes.
