National   

Special Powers Act cannot be withdrawn: Pranab

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 10. The Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, said today that in the prevailing situation in Manipur it was not possible to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the State.

"You know the situation in Manipur, the influence that underground organisations and insurgents have in the State. It is impossible to withdraw the Special Powers Act. We cannot accept this demand. The Government has said this before and I am reiterating it again as we know the ground situation,'' Mr. Mukherjee said, while interacting with members of the Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) here.

The Defence Minister said that he had proof of an ex-Chief Minister giving Rs.1 lakh to the insurgents, a former Deputy Chief Minister donating Rs. 2 lakhs and many ex-MLAs providing monetary support to them. "The extent of influence of the insurgents is tremendous and hence it is not possible for the Centre to withdraw the Act.''

`Inquiries have been set up'

Describing the alleged rape and killing of a woman by the personnel of Assam Rifles as "unfortunate," Mr. Mukherjee said it was not correct to say that the Government was not responding to the agitation. Two sets of inquiries had already been set up into the incident — one by the Assam Rifles Court of Inquiry, and a judicial inquiry by the State Government. "Once the inquiry report comes out, appropriate action would be taken by the Government.''

About demands for withdrawing the Assam Rifles from the State, he said it was not possible as the situation was not conducive. If the State police was adequate enough to deal with the situation there would have been no need to send it. When asked about the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil's statement on the Government's readiness to pull out the Assam Rifles from the State, Mr. Mukherjee said that though the Assam Rifles were under the administrative control of the Defence Ministry, they basically belong to the Home Ministry.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Special Powers Act cannot be withdrawn: Pranab
• Left attacks decision on EPF rate
• Parivar activists stop bus carrying tribal Christians
• Don't push up commodity prices, Chidambaram warns producers
• Minimum support price for paddy raised
• Celestial sparklers: make a wish tonight
• Elangovan for Thailand
• Education loan scheme simplified
• Uproar in Assam Assembly over ISI's activities
• 'Starvation deaths' in Bihar
• Talks only within Constitutional framework: Minister
• Understanding complex networks
• Government may try to avoid oil price hike
• Jayalalithaa writes to Manmohan
• 'Welcome service' for a fee at airports

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu