Surrenderees stage hunger strike

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 26: Former militants who have surrendered to the Government today staged a hunger strike at Keishampat Leimajam Leikai community hall under the aegis of the All Manipur Hills and Valley Individual Surrender Welfare Association but they were driven away by police.
The surrenderees assembled at the community hall at around 8.30 am and they put up placards which reads as ‘Govt must understand grievances of surrenderees’, ‘Ensure right to life of surrenderees’, ‘Govt must translate the assurances it gave to surrenderees at the earliest’ etc.
At around noon, a police team arrived at the protest site and they drove away the protesters. Nonetheless, the police took a few representatives of the association to the Chief Minister’s Secretary where the representatives submitted a memorandum.
The memorandum urged the State Government to translate into action all the decisions adopted by the State Cabinet on May 21, 2017 regarding surrenderees.
Later speaking to media persons, All Manipur Hills and Valley Individual Surrender Welfare Association vice president cum spokesman Abdul Latif said that they were compelled to stage the hunger strike as the Government failed to meet the deadline of July 25 for fulfilling their demands.
The memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister today urged the Government to fulfil the assurances it gave to surrenderees. If these demands are not fulfilled at the earliest, the association would launch different modes of intense agitation, he said.  He urged the Government to ensure right to life of surrenderees by fulfilling its assurance to provide suitable jobs based on their educational qualifications.
Even after three years of surrender, the surrenderees have not  been given monthly stipend which the Govt promised, he decried.