Tripura: NESO conducts 3 hour sit-in demonstration demanding withdrawal of AFSPA

As part of regional agitation of the North East Student’s Organization (NESO), the apex body of all major students’ unions in the region, the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) demonstrated a three hours sitting demonstration at the Vivekananda stadium in Tripura’s capital Agartala on various demands including withdrawal of the AFSPA on Wednesday, August 17.

A large number of agitators raised slogans on demand of repealing of AFSPA and CAA, providing a special constitutional safeguard for the indigenous people of Tripura, stopping the influx of foreign nationals, setting up of technical and medical colleges in the TTAADC headquarters at Khumlung, and resolving of the unemployment problem.

“Though Tripura had withdrawn AFSPA sometime back unfortunately this draconian Act is still in enforcement in another state of the region and so we are demonstrating here along with other capitals in North East for its immediate repeal as it is dangerous for the common people,” said John Debbarma, general secretary of TSF.

“We also demand the adoption of new education policy for this region given the unique culture and heritage. We want inner-land permits to be adopted besides stopping immigration from across the border, resolving the unemployment problem, and settling of engineering and medical colleges in TTAADC headquarters.”

Since the unfortunate firing incident in which 13 civilians were killed at Oting in Mon district of Nagaland during an anti-insurgency operation by the security forces last year, NESO intensified its protests across the northeastern states demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

NESO, which also comprises the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF), All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) and Garo Students’ Union (GSU) organized similar protests across other states of the Northeast said that due to the existing AFSPA, the armed forces have been operating in NE with impunity.

The AFSPA was enacted in 1958 to give the armed forces discretionary powers of arrest and detention after an armed insurgency started in Nagaland.

However, critics viewed that despite providing armed forces powers to act with impunity under the controversial AFSPA, it has failed to control insurgency in the region.