All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) on December 9 staged a protest rally under the supervision of North East Students Organization (NESO) at Imphal city in Imphal West District of Manipur, reports The Sangai Express. The protest rally saw a huge turnout of students with a demand to repeal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from northeast region. Addressing the gathering, Vikramjit Thongam, general secretary AMSU, categorically stated that AFSPA should be repealed from the North East as the security forces have carried out countless atrocities under the protection of the draconian Act. AMSU also submitted a memorandum to Major General Alok Naresh, IGAR South, demanding the repeal of AFSPA from North East.
On December 9, civil society organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) staged a sit-in-protest at Keishampat in Imphal West against “the brutal massacre of the Naga brethren” and seeking the repeal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), reports East Mojo. In his statement, Longjam Ratankumar, coordinator of COCOMI and president of HERICOUN, said that “Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and democratic principles cannot exist together. AFSPA is colonial and inhumane in character and undemocratic in legislation, and, therefore, it does not have a place in any part of the country.”