AFSPA PAR HALLA BOL: MARCH FROM MANDI HOUSE METRO STATION TO JANTAR MANTAR ON 30TH MARCH AT 1 PM

PRESS NOTE

ANTI-AFSPA MARCH FROM MANDI HOUSE METRO STATION TO JANTAR MANTAR ON 30 MAR AT 1

The draconian law of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) rules over eight states in India. With its provision of unrestrained power - shoot at sight, arrest without warrant, search and destroy public property on mere suspicion and legal impunity to the armed forces, AFSPA has led to extra-judicial killings, rapes, torture and fake encounters in these states. 

Yet, AFSPA has been existing for 60 years now. In these 60 years, there have been countless numbers of protests and demonstrations against this inhuman act. It has been 14 years now that Irom Sharmila, a Manipuri activist, has been on a hunger-strike against AFSPA but while her heroic struggle is challenging the conscience of people across the world, her own Government remains unmoved. Almost all major parties in the country have been silent about the everyday horror in these states.

But this silence needs to be broken. In the wake of the upcoming 16^th Lok Sabha elections, we intend to create a political pressure for the repeal of AFSPA. We demand the political parties to take up the issue of repealing AFSPA. In this regard, we have taken several steps. We have appealed to academicians and columnists to write about this issue in newspapers and news portals. An open letter issued by Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign and endorsed by many human rights’ activists and organizations across the country was written to political parties including AAP, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, left parties, regional parties of Jammu & Kashmir and North-east.  

Today, on 30^th March, Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign, AISA, AIPWA, RYA, DSF, JNUSU, NEFIS, Voices against 377, NAPM, Right to water campaign and other like-minded groups organize a joint march against AFSPA from Mandi House metro station to Jantar Mantar at 1 PM. After the march, there will be a public meeting at Jantar Mantar. 

For any other information, mail at savesharmila@gmail.com or call 9958907799, 9582129927, 8826672016, 9718204129

Election 2014 - Don't forget AFSPA

With the General Election beginning from April 7th, the country has now plunged into the election mode. Parties and party manifestos are jostling for space in the public imagination with promises of a better future for this country. But the struggle of brave Irom Sharmila and other voices from Kashmir and the North East against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, AFSPA, still remain out of the political akhara.  

While debates over secularism, democracy and development are gaining ground on the pre-election turf, the long standing and popular demand of peoples of Kashmir and the North East to repeal the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act is missing from the political imagination. The struggle for a mature democracy in Kashmir and the North East is intertwined with the struggle to repeal AFSPA, and keeping this outside party manifestos is ignoring the genuine demand of the people. 

Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC) in collaboration with other like-minded organizations and groups has decided to bring the pressing demand to repeal AFSPA into the political theater before the elections. We believe that if we can take AFSPA and its implications in the everyday life of people to the farthest corner of this country via media and awareness campaigns, it would be possible to create a bottom-up pressure on the political parties to bring the issue of repealing AFSPA into the current pre-election political discourse.

We invite you to take action:

1. Please endorse this if you agree with this, so that we can include your name in endorsements in the open letter to all political parties that we will issue and release on 18th March to all media houses.

2. If you are an activist/academician/writer, we request you to raise your voice by contributing a think piece/article (in English, Hindi or any regional languages) in any Newspaper/ Magazines. We are planning to organise a joint march and public meeting on 30th. If possible, kindly also include information about this event in the article so that people can come and show their support.

3. We are organizing a joint march against AFSPA on 30th March from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. We invite individuals and organisations to be a part of it. Organisations in other states can join in by organising similar campaigns in their states. Please let us know by 18th March. 
To contact us, mail at savesharmila@gmail.com

To endorse, mail us your name/organization
To participate in 30th March Protest march against AFSPA, do send us organization name to be included

Endorsed by:

1. Devika Mittal,  SSSC
2. V Arun Kumar, AISA
3. Ravi Nitesh, SSSC
4. Kalita Rupam, SSSC
5. Kiran Shaheen, Writer and Anti Poverty Activist
6. Vrinda Grover, Advocate and Activist
7. Kavita Krishnan, AIPWA Secretary and CPI(ML) Politburo Member
8. Aslam Khan, RYA
9. Amar Kanwar, Filmmaker and writer
10. Prof. Nandini Sundar, Academician and Activist
11. Meena Saraswathi Seshu, General Secretary Of SANGRAM, Maharashtra
12. Prof. Nandita Narain, Delhi University
13. Nilanju Dutta, Jagori
14. Vasanth Kannabiran, Asmita Resource Center for Women, Hyderabad
15. Rituparna Borah, Queer Feminist Activist, New Delhi
16. N. Jayaram, Journalist
17. Shreya Ila Anasuya, Activist
18. Queer Feminists India
19. Reclaim The Night Delhi
20. Lesley A Esteves, Queer Activist, New Delhi
21. Shraddha Chickerur, Activist
22. Vahida Nainar, Activist
23. Dr. Sagari Ramdas, Scholar and Activist
24. Mini Mathew, Advocate
25. LABIA Queer Feminist LBT Collective, Mumbai
26. Ubaid Mushtaq, Scholar, IIT BOMBAY
27. Chhaya Datar
28. Jinee Lokaneeta
29. Rohini Hensman, Writer And Activist
30. Kaveri R. I., Hyderabad
31. Rakhi Sehgal, Hero Honda Theka Mazdoor Sangathan, Haryana
32. Juhi Jain, Feminist Activist/Writer
33. Gayatri Buragohain, Foundation For Social Transformation
34. Dheeraj Gaba, Founder Of Rooh (A Rural Organization Of Humanity)
35. Satyashodhak, Mumbai
36. Faisal Khan, Khudai Khidmatgar
37. Zaheeb Ajmal, Samar
38. Jayachandran R, The Civil Rights And Social Justice Society(CRSJS), Kerala
39. Sukla Sen, Ekta (Committee For Communal Amity), Mumbai
40. Jawad Mohammed
41. Madhu Bala, Jagori
42. Saumya Uma, Women's Research & Action Group (WRAG)
43. Ramlath Kavil, Activist
44. Aruna Burte, Solapur
45. Anuradha Kapoor, SWAYAM, Kolkata
46. Lalita Ramdas, Activist
47. Shruti Batra, Activist
48. Uma V Chandru, WSS, Bangalore
49. Prof. Dr. Vibhuti Patel, SNDT Women's University
50. Deepti, Saheli Women
51. Mohammad Imran, Activist
52. Voices Against 377
53. Dyuti, Student
54. Ridhima Mehra
55. Richa, Jan Abhiyan Sanstha, Himachal Pradesh
56. Abha , Jagori Grameen
57. Nimisha, Olakh, Vadodara
58. Kavita Panjabi
59. Wahengbam Joykumar Singh, Secretary of Human Rights Initiative, Imphal
60. Ningthoukhongjam Rajesh, North East News Network
61. Walter Fernandes, Scholar and Activist
62. Ashim jain, ICAN
63. Subhash Mohapatra, Global Human Rights Communications
64. Viren Lobo, ICAN
65. Prithvi Sharma, ICAN
66. Manzoor Dar, Social Activist, J&K
67. Rashmi Talwar, Columnist-Journalist-Writer
68. Ameeque Jamei, PCPT
69. Jyoti Punwani, Journalist Activist, Mumbai
70. Ghazanafar Abbas, Youth Activist and Journalist, Delhi
71. D.Gabriele Pennurimai Iyakkam, NAPM
72. Antony Arulraj, Hotline Delhi
73. Payoli Swatija , Samajwadi Jan Parishad
74. Rosemary Dzuvichu,Advisor,Naga Mothers Association
75. Helen Saldanha, Catholic Bishop's Conference of India
76. Sushovan Dhar,  Member of Radical Socialist
77. Pratip Nag, Member of Radical Socialist
78. Bodhisatwa  Ray, Member of Radical Socialist
79. Praditpta , Member of Radical Socialist
80. Saumendra Basu, Member of Radical Socialist
81. Mihir Bhonsale, Member of Radical Socialist
82. Kunal Chattopadhyay, Professor of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University
83. Soma Marik, Member of Maitree, women's network in West Bengal 
84. Prof. Ritu Diwan, Mumbai University
85. Mukul Dube, writer, editor, photographer
86. Syed Saleem, Concerned Citizen
87. Abdul Azim Md
88. Ramlath Kavil

Support Extended By: (Till Now)

Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign, AIPWA, AISA,RYA 

For any query, contact with

Devika at 99582129927  Ravi at 9958907799 V Arun 8826672016 

Facebook Event Link:

https://www.facebook.com/events/785325398162304