North East Support Centre & Helpline

Dwarka, New Delhi 110075. www.nehelpline.net, info@nehelpline.net

 

Mr. Madhu Chandra

Spokesman – North East Support Centre & Helpline, New Delhi

Regional Secretary – All India Christian Council, New Delhi

National Secretary – All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations, New Delhi

 

Telefax – 011-28042194, Cell +919716004939

Email: office@madhuchandra.org

 

Memorandum

 

August 4, 2009

 

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi

Chairperson

United Progressive Alliance

10 Akbar Raod

New Delhi 110001

 

Subject:       Honest Intervention Needed to Solve the Age Old Problem of Manipur.

 

Madam,

 

I as a citizen and civil society, with due respect, submit this humble memorandum with much distress on unprecedented crisis of Manipur that is going on for last three decades and less cared by any governments in the past. The grievance of the state and its people have reached to the stage that unless immediate concrete measurement takes up from Central Government of India to give permanent solution, then the socio-political crisis is likely to go out hand.

 

I would like to mention that the crisis worse or similar to what is going on in the state of Manipur used occurred in the state of Mizoram beginning from 1960s till mid 1985. It was through then the government of Smt. Indira Gandhi that took honest steps and measurement through which, three decades old crisis of Mizoram was brought to the end in 1985. As result, Mizoram remains as one of the most peaceful state in India, in spite of Arm Special Forces Power Act 1958 (ASFPA) still extended to the state.

 

I as a citizen of the country and Manipur with honest request would like to lay down the follow few points for your kind consideration and immediate steps:

 

1.                 Socio-political crisis of Manipur has worsened each day without any serious measurement taken up to establish law and order of the state.

 

2.                 Manipur Government’s plan to suppress the insurgents through extra arm power has added more measureable life to the state and its people. For last 50 years, insurgency problem has been fought by guns under Arm Special Forces Power Act 1958 (ASFPA) and it has failed to solve the problem rather increase the more. Under Arm forces, there has never been questioned why youngsters take up arms in their hands?

 

3.                 Enormous amount of human rights violations is faced by the civilians and it has been added more by the crimes committed by security forces in such as fake encounter killing, one of which was revealed through Tehelka Vol.6 Issue 31, New Delhi. (http://www.Tehelka.com), otherwise the incident would have been buried with the misleading statement of state police forces and government.

 

4.                 Our hon’ble Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh is definitely the one who is capable to lead such trouble torn state like Manipur. He has faced enough during his ten years tenure. But he and his government have totally failed to keep the law and order situation of the state. He has also failed to give any developmental work in last ten years. At his failure to keep the law and order situation and carry out developmental work of the state, the public has suffered the most.

 

5.                 Looking at very nature of the socio-political crisis of Manipur, whatever the state government may come up or political leadership changes, nothing will change until and unless honest and sincere initiative involvement of Central Government like the one Smt. Indira Gandhi then the Prime Minister of India did to the state of Mizoram through which the state crisis was solved 25 years ago.

 

Therefore, Madam, with few points listed above, an honest approach and steps is urgently needed to solve the problem. What so far Indian Government has done to solve the socio-political crisis of Manipur is only through the means of Arm forces power act, which is proved, failed since AFSPA was imposed in 1958.

 

I am confident that your good office will treat this representation urgent and worthy to intervene and seek establishing permanent and long lasting solution to socio-economic and political crisis of the state of Manipur.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Madhu Chandra