Imphal: Thousands of demonstrators on Thursday defied curfew and staged a rally in Manipur's Imphal East district demanding removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the state and the arrest of those responsible for the killings of three women and three children in Jiribam district.
The rally began at Nongada in Lamlai constituency, with the protesters raising slogans as they marched towards Yorbung, covering a distance of 4.5 km.
"The rally was organised by Meira Paibis and local clubs in Lamlai constituency. We have reiterated time and again that AFSPA is a tool of oppression. The people of Imphal valley and Naga areas have suffered the most under AFSPA, but the government has never acknowledged their suffering," Y Leima, a woman protester, said.
Meanwhile, in Jiribam district, volunteers from the Coordinating Committee of Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) student wing locked several government offices as part of a two-day campaign demanding mass operations against Kuki-Zo militants and the removal of AFSPA.
The volunteers forced government employees to vacate offices and locked the main doors.
The Centre recently reimposed AFSPA, under which an area is declared as "disturbed" for the convenience of security forces to operate, in Manipur's six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam.
In a notification, the Union Home Ministry said the decision was taken given the continuous volatile situation there due to the ongoing ethnic violence.
The police station areas where AFSPA has been reimposed are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East district, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi and Moirang in Bishnupur.�
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