AFSPA is vital in Manipur’s valley as a “constitutional breakdown” fails to bring President’s Rule, says Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a frontal organization in Sadar Hills Kangpokpi District
TFM Kangpokpi Representative
Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a frontal organization in Sadar Hills Kangpokpi District tackling the current turmoil in the state by mobilizing resources, overseeing medical supplies, managing Internally Displaced Persons, and mostly concerned with the political suppression allegedly through ‘biased administration’ of Manipur Government wondered as to why the absolute breakdown of Constitutional machinery in the state for past four months failed to meet the requirement for the imposition of President’s Rule.
CoTU wondered, “Is the burning of a sitting MP, or ex-Lok Sabha MP, or a sitting minister, MLAs not a constitutional breakdown?”.
“Is looting of more than 6000 arms and 5 lakhs ammunition in a state armory not a constitutional breakdown?”, and, is not a remark of the state Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh inciting hatred among one community over others, not a constitutional breakdown? wondered CoTU.
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It then asked the central government what really constituted a constitutional breakdown in a state that required imposition of the President’s Rule.
Ng. Lun Kipgen, the Coordinator of CoTU’s Media Cell asked the Centre that if at all the absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state could not bring the President’s Rule in Manipur, then, re-imposed the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in Manipur’s Valley districts as it would be the only tool that could limp back law and order in the state.
He also said that the lawlessness and the removal of AFSPA in the valley districts added fuel to the ongoing crisis in the state.
Gradually, the AFSPA which gives armed forces personnel, operating in disturbed areas, sweeping powers to search, arrest, and open fire if they deem it necessary for the maintenance of public order was removed from 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur Valley in April 2022.
On April 1, this year barely a month before the outbreak of the wide-scale violence on May 3, the AFSPA was repealed from four other police stations following the withdrawal of disturbed area notification in Manipur Valley.