SHILLONG, DEC 11: National People’s Party (NPP) leader and Meghalaya Health Minister James K Sangma on Saturday called for unity of the North East region against the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958.
Speaking at the candlelight vigil organized in solidarity with the families of the victims, who were killed by the security forces in Mon district of Nagaland on December 4, Sangma said, “We must all stand united not just people of Meghalaya and Nagaland but all the people of the North East. We must come together to say with one voice that we do not want the AFSPA.”
He said the NPP has always been very vocal against AFSPA and following the killing of 14 innocent people the demand should not go in vain.
“This is a moment for us to appeal to the government of India that AFSPA should be repealed,” Sangma said.
“We also maintained…that we are against AFSPA as for too long our people have suffered, for too long has this draconian law been misused by security forces under this so-called empowering of the armed forces,” he further asserted.
According to him, people have lost their faith in this act as many have met with incients of torture, rape, human rights abuse.
“(Therefore), it is time that we should all stand united for the removal of AFSPA from the Northeast,” he reiterated.
Sangma said the NPP also sent out a message of solidarity and a message of condolences to our brothers and sisters in Nagaland, who have recently witnessed the barbaric act committed by the security forces in the name of AFSPA.
By Our Reporter
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