AMUCO, UCM join hands in paying tributes to June 18 martyrs as all roads lead to Kekrupat Collective voice raised to protect unity and integrity
IMPHAL, Jun 18 : All roads led to Kekrupat as thousands of people from different parts of the State made their way to the sacred site to pay their homage and respect to the 18 souls who laid down their lives to protect the territorial integrity of the day.....
Poison in your food ? Urea, DAP in rice ?
IMPHAL, Jun 18 : Super fine rice shipped in by Food Corporation of India and supplied to the public at subsidised rate by Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (CAF&PD) Department is found mixed with certain substances which look like Urea or DAP.....
Dimapur bandh ends
DIMAPUR, Jun 18 : The otherwise noisy and chaotic commercial hub of Nagaland looked deserted today as all the roaring business establish-ments came to a grinding halt following the dawn to dusk bandh imposed by Action Committee Against Unabated Taxation (.....
UNC rolls up sleeves for intense stir
IMPHAL, June 18: United Naga Council (UNC) has pledged to intensify its stand with a series of agitation soon against the alleged communal policies of Manipur Government and communal forces in Manipur valley. However, the UNC did not spell out the nature .....
Mercury soars
IMPHAL, Jun 18: According to data collected from weather stations installed in different parts of the State, maximum average temperature at Imphal recorded 34 degree Celsius at Imphal valley during the past 5 days. Moreh recorded maximum temperature of.....
Jiri sizzles at 38 degree Celsius
JIRIBAM, Jun 18: with the heat wave sweeping across Jiribam sub-division for the last few days showing no signs of abetting the normally vacant Jiribam community health centre has been transformed into a crammed health facility. The sub-divisional head.....
House okays five demands
IMPHAL, Jun 18: The fifth session of the ongoing 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly today passed five demands which included Rs 64,81,07,000 for Land Revenue, stamp & Registration, and District Administration; Power - Rs 666,83,96,000; Youth Affairs and Sp.....
Question Hour At The Assembly Edn Minister concedes SSA school buildings lapses
IMPHAL, Jun 18: Education Minister M Okendro has conceded that school buildings constructed under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) were not at all satisfactory while some guardians still continue to be members of School Management Development Committees (SMDC).....
CM dismisses Oppn allegation
IMPHAL, Jun 18: Dismissing allegation of misuse of fund sanctioned for National School Safety Programme by Relief and Disaster Management Department, Chief Minister O Ibobi asserted there is no question of misuse of fund nor any meaning in ordering any en.....
Nitish faces trust vote today
PATNA, Jun 18: After the Janata Dal-United parted ways with ally the Bharatiya Janata Party, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will seek a trust vote on Wednesday at a special session of Bihar assembly to prove his majority, which he is expected to muster witho.....
AR fetes
IMPHAL, Jun 18: IG AR (South) Maj Gen Rajiv Chopra today felicitated students of Assam Rifles Senior Secondary School who scored highest marks in the CBSE Exams of class X and XII at 9 Sector Hqs, Keithelmanbi. Maj Gen Rajiv Chopra and his better half.....
Drivers helped
IMPHAL, Jun 18: Surface Transport, Eco and Environment Society, Nagaland and the All Manipur Road Transport and Motor Workers’ Union have donated edible items to drivers, transporters and passengers stranded at Khuzuma, Nagaland on account of the 48 hou.....
SSA imbroglio
IMPHAL, Jun 18: The All Manipur School Management and Development Committee Association has alleged that unwanted political interference in collusion with ‘unfit’ bureaucrats has derailed SSA programme/RTE Act in the State. “Political interferenc.....
KNF (N) rejects
IMPHAL, Jun 18: Rejecting police claim that Letginhao Haokip alias Abin alias Hegin alias Haopu, arrested recently, belongs to KNF (N) organisation as unfounded and misleading, the armed organisation branded the individual as an imposter. A KNF (N) sta.....
Stir called off
IMPHAL, Jun 18: Work Charge and Muster Roll employees of Minor Irrigation Department who have been agitating since June 10 demanding payment of their pending salaries have agreed to call off their agitation temporarily after they came to an understanding .....
The great June 18 and the great 18 souls
Law enforcers or concerned authorities cannot book anyone as an accused for any kind of unlawful act, most particularly, a criminal one until an FIR (First Investigation Report) is lodged by the police or law enforcing agency. The June 18 incident of 2001.....
Open letter to all the Hon’ble Members of the Hill Area Committee
Article 371(C) of the Indian Constitution enshrined to constitute Hill Areas Committee within the Manipur Legislative Assembly without which there can be no Manipur Legislative Assembly and that in exercise of the power conferred by Article 371(C), the t.....
From communal land ownership to private landlordism
In India and elsewhere, land as been the bone of contention particularly for groups and communities who are classified as tribes (as in the case of India) and indigenous, natives across the globe. The problem of land alienation has been one of the most se.....
Messing with Ramlal Paul HSS Modern day Tughlaqs
Quixotic and Tughlaqnesque. This should about sum up the decision of the Government to turn Ramlal Paul Higher Secondary School to an all girls institution to accommodate the students who could not secure admission at TG Higher Secondary School. Comes clo.....
Blood donated as tribute to June 18, 2001 martyrs
IMPHAL, Jun 18: In all 42 individuals from different walks of life donated blood as Voluntary Help Unit Committee (VHUC), RIMS Hospital commemorated the '13th blood donation camp - A Tribute to the Martyrs of 18th June 2001' at RIMS Hospital today. The.....
Headlines
By : Our Staff Reporter
Nov 2, 2000 : Anti-AFSPA Campaign Continues To Sustain Tributes paid to Chittaranjan, Sharmila
IMPHAL, Nov 2 : In commemoration of Irom Sharmila completing the 12th year of her crusade against the infamous Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, fitting tributes were paid today to the living legend as well as Pebam Chittaranjan who attained martyrdom after self-immolating himself for the same cause.
The solemn function held at Bishnupur Keithel under the aegis of Apunba Nupi Lup, Bishnupur started by offering floral tributes to Pebam Chittaranjan. This was followed by a public meeting.
Irom Sharmila, shaken by the massacre of 10 innocent people at Malom by Assam Rifles troops on November 2, 2000, launched her unparalleled campaign against AFSPA which gives extraordinary powers to security forces and enable them to kill people at will with full impunity.
In the aftermath of the gruesome rape and murder of Thangjam Manorama, again by AR troops in the intervening night of July 10 and 11, 2004, a massive and sustained civil movement was launched in Manipur.
In the course of this historic movement, Pebam Chittaranjan, demanding abolition of AFSPA, self-immolated on August 15 which significantly is the Independence Day of India.
Today’s commemorative function was attended by Chittaranjan’s mother Pebam (O) Sorojini, Sharmila’s elder brother Irom Shinghajit, Imphal Free Press resident Editor Irengbam Arun, Assistant Prof Chinglen Maisnam, Dr Oinam Kullabidhu, author of Sharmila Mission for Peace, Bishnupur Municipal Council Chairperson Laishram Nolindro and president of the Apunba Nupi Lup Bishnupur Lourembam Nganbi.
Addressing the gathering, Irom Shinghajit while observing that there is no family in who have not bore the brunt of AFSPA, called upon all the people to struggle collectively for complete repeal of AFSPA from Manipur.
“People thought that my son to be mentally unsound but it was not true. Chittaranjan was always worried for the downtrodden and deprived. Only I knew his thoughts and concerns”, said Pebam Sorojini about his heroic son.
It was his real concern for the mass which enabled him to self-immolate and sacrifice his life for the mass.
“To realise the common goal of Chittaranjan and Sharmila, our people need to be united for a collective struggle”, Sorojini asserted.
Irengbam Arun remarked that AFSPA is not a law which can be enforced among mankind. It always poses a threat to the most fundamental human rights.
Both Sharmila and Chittaranjan deserve the highest honour for their selfless and unprecedented struggle against the draconian law, Arun said.
Chinglen Maisnam said that students should not concentrate only on learning and gathering knowledge but also work to bring changes in the society.
But there cannot be any changes without struggle. For any selfless struggle for common good, one can always look up to Sharmila and Chittaranjan.
There are many people in Manipur who have been raking moolahs by capitalising on continued imposition AFSPA and Manipur being conflict zone.
It has become all the more imperative to bring certain changes so that people fully enjoy their rights away from the shadow of AFSPA.
To bring about such a change, it needs a massive and sustained struggle, Dr Chinglen added.
Today’s function also featured an exhibition of photographs captured by students of Assam Art College during their conversation with different persons about AFSPA.
A similar commemorative function was also held at Malom Lamkhai where floral tributes were paid to the victims of Malom Massacre.
