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AFSPA lets the forces get away with war crimes: Sudeep Chakravarti

The controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in place in Manipur for the last 55 years. While the forces claim it is impossible to improve the security situation without it, its frequent abuse has led to the death and disappearance of many youths, it has led to rape of women by security force personnel. While Irom Sharmila's marathon fast has kept the focus on the issue, 55 years is enough time to take stock of what the imposition of AFSPA has yielded. Senior journalist and author of 'Highway 39' Sudeep Chakravarti joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue.



Q. Hi Sudeep. two questions. First a hypothetical question. AFSPA has to go. But is there a plan how it should go? Gradual phasing out? Absence of AFSPA is essential for peace in Manipur but do you fear some kind of a vacuum once it goes? Second question: Example of any specific counterinsurgency operation that AFSPA has helped? Asked by: Arijit Sen

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Controversial AFSPA completes 55 years despite protests for its removal

Imphal: It has been 55 years since the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was first introduced. The longest demonstration against it has been on in Manipur with Irom Sharmila on a fast for over 12 years now. This April, Rashida Manjoo, the United Nations envoy on Violence Against Women listened to a group of 40 women, including the mother of Manorama Devi. In 2004, Manorama, a 32-year-old was...  

Omar to raise AFSPA issue in internal security meet in Delhi

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said he would raise the issues of partial revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) during the next internal security meeting in Delhi. "The internal security meeting will be held in Delhi on June 5. The Prime Minister will be attending the meeting and Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will chair it. Definitely AFSPA will be discussed again. Why...  

Neymar to join Barcelona in July: reports

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Jharkhand: Aadhaar mandatory for sale, purchase of land

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Spain not yet on Brazil's level: Andres Iniesta

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Shutdown in Agartala over killing of 3 newspaper employees

Agartala: Normal life was paralysed in the municipal corporation area here on Tuesday in response to a dawn-to-dusk bandh called by opposition Congress to protest the killing of three employees of 'Dainik Ganadoot', a local Bengali daily. Vehicles remained off the roads and markets, schools, colleges and educational institutions were closed. Official sources said attendance in government offices, banks and financial institutions was also thin. Police said no untoward incident...  

Shutdown in Agartala over killing of newspaper employees

Agartala: The opposition Congress in Tripura has called a dawn-to-dusk bandh in the municipal corporation area here on Tuesday to protest the killing of three employees of a local Bengali daily. Leader of the Opposition Ratan Lal Nath, belonging to the Congress, said on Monday that the killing proved that journalists and newspaper employees were not safe in the state. "This is unprecedented in the state as well as in...  

NASA's Mars rover examines rock altered by water

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Tripura: 3 killed as armed men attack a newspaper's office

Agartala: Three staff members of a newspaper in Tripura, Dainik Ganadoot, were killed on Sunday after armed men attacked the paper's office. The three non-journalist staff members were stabbed by the unknown assailants. According to police, the motorcycle-borne assailants barged into the office of 'Dainik Ganadoot' at the Palace Compound at about 3 pm and stabbed a proof reader and a driver on the ground floor before proceeding to the...  

Pirelli urges Formula One to relax testing rules

London: Formula One must allow in-season testing to avoid the risk next year of tyres lasting only a handful of laps and races being cut short, according to Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery. Under fire for the quick-wearing 2013 compounds that led to a blizzard of pitstops in Spain on Sunday, Hembery warned that a current testing ban made it harder for the Italian company to meet significant technical challenges...  

Astronaut's music video aboard ISS goes viral

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Watch: Canadian astronaut's music video aboard International Space Station

A music video shot aboard the International Space Station by a Canadian astronaut gets over 1.5 million hits on YouTube. ...

New apps bring live music into the home

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Ferrari, Lotus the F1 winners on return to Europe

London: The first European race of the Formula One season provided a boost for Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, with Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen also smiling, but left plenty of other former champions feeling the pain. While Red Bull retained their lead in both championships, they struggled with similar tyre problems to others in Barcelona on Sunday with triple champion Sebastian Vettel finishing off the podium with his lead over Raikkonen...  

Drivers worried Pirelli tyres are wearing too fast

Barcelona: Barcelona: Tyres shredded like paper, rubber flew everywhere and cars flitted in and out of the pit lane like supermarket shoppers in a car park. On a frustrating day for drivers and fans alike, nearly 80 pit stops were made during Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, again highlighting what has become a major concerns for Formula One teams five races into the season - the vulnerability of Pirelli's tyres. And...  

Mercedes mystified by lack of race pace

Barcelona: Mercedes urged their many Formula One technical boffins to "think outside the box" and consider the unconsidered after a Spanish Grand Prix that left the team baffled by their cars' lack of race pace. Despite scorching to their third pole position in a row, with Germany's Nico Rosberg notching up his second in succession, Mercedes flopped when it mattered most at the Circuit de Catalunya. Lewis Hamilton went from...  

Watch: How newspapers in Pakistan reacted to elections

Even as there was jubilation in the Nawaz Sharif camp in Pakistan, there was gloom and angst in the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf party. Foreign Affairs Editor Suhasini Haider, who has been tracking the latest from Pakistan, tell us what newspapers there are saying. ...

Snapshot: NASA astronaut records the world's first music video from space

This image provided by NASA shows astronaut Chris Hadfield recording the first music video from space Sunday May 12, 2013. The song was his cover version of David Bowie's Space Oddity. Hadfield and astronaut Thomas Marshburn are scheduled to return to earth. ...