Armed Forces Special Power Act: Remembering 9/11

A peace rally / sit-in-protest to observe the Assent of the then President of India to the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers' Act on September 11 in 1958 with organised by Just Peace Foundation in collaboration with Sharmila Kanba Lup on September 11 2011 .

'9/11 of 1958 must remind us of the fact that Armed Forces Special Power Act came as a product of a political "decision" by the executive and declared a war on the people by disguising the declaration as a juridical measure to maintain law and order.' reads the The Sangai Express article by A. Bimol Akoijam.

The disguise war on the people residing in specific geographical locations has been condemned and protested. Continuing the struggle to bring and preserve the democratic ethos and principles, concerned citizens of the country opposed the '53 year long imposition of the Act. in the Northeast of India' and 21 year in Kashmir (Press Release from JPF) .

Among others, at present, the struggle is symbolised by the 11 year old hunger strike of Irom Chanu Sharmila. However, the protest in particular and the movement at large has 'endured in obscurity' recorded New York Times.

One of the reasons for the obscurity of the movement has been due to the successful propagation by the state machinery by locating the Act. within the legal paradigm to control the deteriorating law and order of a disturbed area. The dichotomy between the AFSPA and the law and order has been reinforced by the right base argument of 'denial of right to life' put forward by the dissenters of the Act.

However, the exclusivist nature of the discourse, i.e., AFSPA and Law and order on one side and AFSPA and rights violation on the other, has hide the fundamental question that it challenges the universally accepted democratic ethos and principles of all man are born equal and free.

Shifting of the discourse from the democratic ethos and principles has enable Mr. Chidambaram, Home Minister of India, to observed 'As I said, there is no consensus yet and I am trying to build consensus. I have not succeeded so far.

There is a statement of the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) that we will replace the AFSPA with a more humane act. So we are trying'. The comment of the Union Home Minister summarise the last fifty years of political history of Northeast India.

At the same time may be it also encapsulates the political future of the region too.