Civil society will not shut up, now kick off 'yatra' over AFSPA

Anna Hazare might be on maun vrath, but his team is not giving up raising its voice on issues other than corruption. On Sunday, Team Anna member Medha Patkar kicked off the 10-day ‘Save Irom Sharmila Jan Karwan Yatra’ from Srinagar to Imphal to mobilise masses against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) currently in place in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and in some north-eastern states.

Shouting slogans like ‘Down with AFSPA’, hundreds of human rights defenders, RTI activists and common people participated in the flagging off ceremony at Partap Park here. Earlier, Patkar along with Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey prayed at the Dargah Hazratbal shrine.

The anti-AFSPA yatra was flagged off on a day when hundreds of people took to the streets in Sumbal village in north Kashmir against the army’s plan to set up another camp in the area. The yatra will crisscross through Panipat, Lucknow and other regions before it culminates at Imphal where Irom Sharmila has been fasting for 11 years against AFSPA.

Apart from the yatra, the civil society has launched a signature campaign against AFSPA which will culminate on December 10 when 100 women activists besides other people will assemble at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to hand over the memorandum to president Pratibha Patil.

“AFSPA is a symbol of vulgar and brutal violence in India and it needs to be repealed. Irom Sharmila has been fighting against this act which is applicable in some north-eastern states and J&K,” said Patkar. Patkar, however, was all for Kashmir as an integral part of India.

Independent MLA from Langate Sheikh Rasheed, who shot to fame by bringing in the Save Afzal Guru resolution in the state assembly, said partial withdrawal of AFSPA will tantamount to rubbing salt on the wounds of people of Kashmir