India News > Imphal, Aug 21 :

Organisations in the restive northeastern state of Manipur Saturday called off their month-long shutdown to press the demand for the withdrawal of a controversial anti-terror law.

"For the greater interest of the people of Manipur, we have called off our indefinite strike though that does not mean we have given up our demand for repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act," Jadumoni Sapam, a spokesman for the organisations, told IANS.

The Apunba Lup, a conglomeration of 32 organisations, has been spearheading the campaign for withdrawal of the act that has rocked Manipur since July 11 after 32-year-old Thangjam Manorama Devi was allegedly killed in military custody.

The organisations, however, decided to continue protests to build up pressure on the government to repeal the act that gives sweeping powers to the army and paramilitary forces to shoot on sight and arrest anybody without a warrant.

"We have chalked out three broad strategies to keep alive our protests. We have asked people to come out on the streets every morning at 9 a.m. and shout slogans, besides holding rallies and protest marches from time to time," Sapam said.

"The boycott of Indian-made goods will continue till such time as the act is withdrawn in its totality from Manipur."

The Manipur government this month decided to withdraw the act from parts of capital Imphal and two other districts, a move that has failed to pacify public anger.

The state has witnessed violent street protests since July 11 with curfew imposed almost daily since then. Riot police have fired rubber bullets and used teargas shells and smoke guns to disperse angry mobs that have come out to protest defying the prohibitory orders.

The protests climaxed on India's Independence Day Aug 15, when a 32-year-old man attempted immolation in Imphal. The youth, Pebam Chittranjan, later died in a hospital of severe burn injuries.

Authorities earlier this week cremated his body following mounting tension.

"We organised a second funeral on Saturday to complete the last rites of the boy who died for the cause," Sapam said.

More than 2,000 people Saturday gathered at Takhel Leykey village on the outskirts of Imphal for the symbolic funeral in which Chittranjan's clothes and other belongings were put on the pyre.

The decision to call off the strike has come as a relief to many people in Manipur.

"The last month was like hell with the police after us all the time. Now we can breathe easy though we don't want to compromise on our demand," Tokeshar Singh, a businessman in Imphal, said.

--Indo-Asian News Service

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