IMPHAL Sept 6: The news report of The Telegraph, Kolkata on Irom Sharmila’s personal life about her purported courtship with one Desmond Coutinho, a British citizen of Goan descent has provoked sharp public outcry in the state.
CORE Manipur in a release said the report was misleaing and intended to dilute the campaign against the ARFPS. It said Sharmila is one of the campaigners who entered the campaign 11 years ago while the campaign itself is over 30 yeras old.
It said Sharmila is free to conduct her personal life as she wishes but she cannot be identified as the movement against the AFSPA per se.
Sharmila Kanba Lup, one of the Rights defender organizations of the state that has been associated with Sharmila’s struggle since her initial days demanding the repeal of AFSPA has categorically reacted against the news report and condemned that the paper had allegedly misled the public by sidelining the decade long struggle of Sharmila in poor taste.
Addressing media persons today, convener of Sharmila Kanba Lup, AK Janaki resented that the prevailing development is apprehensive of the involvement of some political nexus to deliberately derail Sharmila’s long standing struggle.
While Kh. Ramani, also convener of the Sharmila Kanba Lup, furious in the matter recounted that the government’s approval allowing the reporter to meet Sharmila has intentionally overlooked a ruling that forbid any individual or organizations intending to meet Sharmila without prior consent of the organization. She elaborated that such intention of the government was to push Sharmila to oblivion from her decade long struggle.
Later, Expressing apprehension, the organization addressing the media persons, said that the government might have put Sharmila under the spell of some narcotic substances to falsify from struggling ahead in her demand.
In the meantime, the Senior Citizens for Society in another conference held at the resident of its president N. Binoy located at Nagamapal today also resented against the said news item of the Telegraph news daily and accused that the very nature of the news item is of serious concern as there is an apparent apprehension of involving hidden motives masqueraded to elude or sabotage the demand of repealing AFSPA completely from the region.
The society demanded that the act that endow full liberty to the law enforcing agencies even to the extend of killing or maiming any suspect based on mere suspicion even by a non commission officer should be repeal completely and the government must not entertained any compromised on the demand. Any amendment or modification of the act from the part of the government will tantamount to further discrimination and disgracing human rights in the already trouble torn region of the country.
feel sad to hear that a regional paper like THE telegraph has published such things. that particular publishing house only represent personal view of of some particular region.
it shows the desperate attempt to gain popularity by cheap publications.
as for the campaign by sharmila- it will be realise soon.
publication of such things are just to hampered some good cause. or rather to gain publicity.. cheap one indeed..
i feel pity for those person who write such cheap thing. it might be using to slowed down the momentum we are gaining , perhaps the writer FAIL to delivers his responsibility to general public..