Defying curfew orders, thousands of women held a rally in Manipur's Imphal East district on Monday demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958 from the state.

The rally organised by local clubs and Meira Paibis in the district raised slogans and held placards calling for "removal of AFSPA from the state" and to "stop imposition of the draconian law" and "stop killing of women and children" in the northeastern state.

The rally commenced from Kongba Bazaar but was stopped after 3 km by a huge contingent of security forces at Konung Mamang, just one kilometre away from the Chief Minister's Secretariat. The demonstrators later returned to Kongba for a public meeting.

Babina Maibam, a Meira Paibi told reporters, "We are demonstrating against the continued suppression of indigenous people... We cannot return to those injustices and brutalities of the past. There are fake encounter cases pending in the Supreme Court. The recent reimposition of AFSPA in areas under six police stations shows that the Centre only wants to amplify the sufferings of the people".

The AFSPA gives armed forces operating in disturbed areas sweeping powers to search, arrest and open fire if they deem it necessary for the "maintenance of public order".

The Centre has recently reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Manipur's six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam.

In a notification, the Union Home Ministry said the decision was taken given the continuous volatile situation there due to the ongoing ethnic violence.

The police station areas where AFSPA has been reimposed are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West, Lamlai in Imphal East, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi and Moirang in Bishnupur district.

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