Manipur?s two hopes: A medal and no Act
The CM has partially withdrawn the Act and also announced that Manipur's Olympians will get Rs 10 lakh for a gold medal.
On Thursday, Manipur chief minister O. Ibobi Singh had announced the partial lifting of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the city of Imphal.
It was an order that hasn't gone down well: the people of Manipur want AFSPA lifted altogether. But on Friday, the 114th death anniversary of freedom fighter Bir Tikendrajit Singh, the CM made an announcement which he hopes will be better received: Manipur's Olympians will get Rs 10 lakh for a gold and Rs 7 lakh for silver.
Manipur has two participants in Athens, both weightlifters. The veteran Kunjarani Devi (48 kg class) and Sanamacha Chanu (53 kg) are medal hopefuls. They have temporarily distracted attention from two other Manipuri women associated with a burden called AFSPA — Sharmila, on a hunger strike since November 2000, and Thangjam Manorama Devi, killed by Assam Rifles personnel last month.
The mood was mixed at Kairong Basti, Kunjarani's ancestral home. The area falls outside Imphal municipality (meaning AFSPA still applies) as do Kongpal village and Bamon Kampu, home to Sharmila and Manorama.
The two things Manipuris hope for are articulated by Kunjarani's sister Dimple: "I hope Iche (elder sister) lifts the weight of her life. And I hope the government lifts the AFSPA from our locality…and all of Manipur."