All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) on Friday took out a rally in Imphal to protest the killing of 15 civilians by security forces in Nagaland’s Mon district on December 4.
The rally, which saw a huge turnout of students, was organised under the supervision of the North East Students Organisation (NESO).
The protesters demanded the immediate repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the Northeast.
Protesters carried placards with slogans such as ‘Repeal AFSPA from Manipur’, ‘Stop killing innocent civilians, ‘We stand against AFSPA 1958’, ‘Give peace a chance.
AMSU general secretary Vikramjit Thongam said that AFSPA should be revoked from the Northeast.
He said under the protection of the Act, security forces have carried out atrocities and many innocent civilians have lost their lives at the hands of security forces.
If the Act continues to prevail in the region, such horrific incidents will continue, he added.
While reiterating that incidents similar to what had happened in Nagaland’s Mon district have taken place in Manipur, he added that the Supreme Court had ordered the CBI to investigate AFSPA-related cases.
However, no prosecution was sanctioned and the security forces continued to exploit the people under the shadow of the Act, he said.