- NET Web Desk
Amid the escalating clamour to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 from different quarters of Northeastern regions and after Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) unanimously passed a resolution demanding its withdrawal, the Manipur Cabinet led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh is likely to hold a meeting within a day or two to discuss on the escalating call, informed The Hindu report.
According to concerned report, the Congress vice-president and party spokesperson K. Meghachandra asserted, “Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren has been saying that under his leadership the law and order situation has improved, that all sections of people can now sleep in peace and that they no longer experience midnight knocks. If it is so, the government should lift the AFSPA”.
Meanwhile, the Manipur CM recently demanded its repeal, which was imposed in the border state to curb the influx of insurgent groups and their escalating attacks.
If Hindu report is taken into context, some senior leaders believed that “if Manipur does not follow Nagaland in lifting the AFSPA, the BJP-led coalition government may have to pay a heavy price in the Assembly election early next year.”
Recently, during the 10th session of 13th NLA, the House vehemently condemned the Oting massacre which took place in Oting-Tiru Village in Mon district on December 4, 2021, and accordingly have initiated the move.
It aimed to strengthen the ongoing efforts for finding a peaceful political settlement to the ‘Naga political issue’.
Its worthy to note that on December 4, innocent civilians identified as coal-miners were gunned down by security forces in Mon district of Nagaland. Referring the killings as “unfortunate”, the Indian Army confirmed the incident.
The unfortunate incident is basically the repercussion of army operation, which mistook the civilians as insurgents from the Yung Aung faction of the banned militant outfit – National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K).
