TMC asks Centre to clarify stance on AFSPA

The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday urged the Union Government to clarify its position on the controversial Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in the wake of the killing of innocent coal-mine workers and villagers at Oting in the Mon district of Nagaland by the Indian Army personnel last weekend.

A delegation of the Trinamool Congress MPs met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submitted a memorandum, stressing that the government must ensure exemplary punishment for the security personnel responsible for the killing of 14 innocent people in Nagaland. The party also demanded adequate compensation for the families of the deceased.

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“The alleged misuse and exploitation of the AFSPA has been the cause of human rights violations in the North-East for the longest time,” the Trinamool Congress MPs alleged, adding: “It has cost civilians their lives, women from the North-East their dignity and seriously disturbed general peacefulness of the region”.

They noted the perception that the AFSPA was a draconian legislation that could be misused.

The memorandum was signed by Trinamool Congress MPs, including Sudip Bandopadhyay, Derek O’Brien, Kalyan Banerjee and the party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

The party, which is in power in West Bengal, also protested against extension of jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF).

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