Shillong, Dec 27 (UNI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has welcomed the move of the central government to constituting a committee to look into the withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland.
“Welcome the move of GOI, @AmitShah ji for approval to set up a panel to review the imposition of the AFSPA in Nagaland. The panel should examine the whole of North East,” Sangma tweeted.
The Chief Minister tweet followed after Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton and former Chief Minister T. R. Zeliang on December 23 in New Delhi.
At the meeting, the government has decided to form a committee that will be chaired by the Additional Secretary -NE, MHA, and will include the chief secretary and director general of police of Nagaland. IGAR (N) and representatives of CRPF will also be part of the committee, which will submit its report in 45 days.
Following the Oting’s massacre in Nagaland, Sangma had urged the Central Government to repeal the Act.
“We have seen that the stand of putting the AFSPA has not really given any result and in the last many years that the Act has been there, it has only been counter-productive and there has been more unrest and situations where a lot of precious lives have been lost and people had to go through a lot of pain and suffering,” Sangma, who is also president of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) had pointed out.
“Therefore, we are very clear in our stand that though the issues are there and we need to address these, there are many other ways and AFSPA is definitely not the way to address those issues and that is why we continue to keep our stand against the Act and urge the Government of India to repeal this draconian Act,” he had iterated.
