People's Democracy

THE Manipur state unit of the Students Federation of India (SFI) observed the International Women’s Day on March 8, with the demand that immediate steps be taken to save Mrs Sharmila’s life. The latter is on a fast since November 5 last with the demand that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 be withdrawn from the state.

The central function of the state SFI unit was organised in Paona Bazar of state capital Imphal, where demands for scrapping all black laws and defending democracy in Manipur were raised.

Before the meeting started, two of the SFI’s state committee members met Mrs Sharmila and assured her of the SFI’s support to her heroic fight. On the same day, an SFI delegation met Ved Prakash Marwah, the governor of Manipur, and gave him a memorandum detailing the SFI’s demands regarding the black laws being used against the innocent people of the state.

The SFI memorandum also demanded that the state government review the cabinet’s decision to retrench 2,805 employees and ban further recruitment. Withdrawal of the fee hikes, stop to commercialisation and communalisation of education, and reduction in the size of the present Samata Party-led jumbo-size ministry were the other demands put forward by the SFI.

The SFI observed the Women’s Day in Nupi Lal Complex area where, on December 12, 1939, the women of Manipur had begun their agitation against the then British imperialist rulers of India, demanding a curb on the rising prices and an end to the export of rice to other states. On that day, and later, many agitating women were shot dead by the British and many others critically injured.

Leaders and former leaders of the SFI and AIDWA like Nirshan Sharma, K Shanta, Landhoni Devi, Satyabati Devi, Bijayani Devi and A Imbecha Chanu addressed the gathering on the occasion, detailing the various problems facing the students, women and in general the people of Manipur in this era of globalisation. They specifically highlighted the problems facing girls’ education in the state because of growing commercialisation of education, so that even the most talented girls are unable to get higher education. The meeting was chaired by Ibetombi.

On this day, the SFI state committee also brought out a pamphlet, detailing the problems facing the girls and women in Manipur. The pamphlet was sold throughout the state.