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Time of India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Hundreds march in ‘United Peace Rally' against insurgency in Arunachal's Longding
1 2 3 4 5 6 Dibrugarh: Hundreds of residents from Arunachal Pradesh 's insurgency-plagued Longding district took to the streets on Friday in a show of unity and defiance, demanding an end to violence and extortion that has gripped the region for ' United Peace Rally ', organised by the Wancho Council , saw participants marching through Longding town with banners and placards bearing messages such as 'No More Abduction', 'No More Extortion', and 'We Want Justice'.The demonstration brought together members from numerous community organisations, including the Wancho Wangham Council, Longding District Students' Union (LDSU), local govt representatives, village headmen (Gaon Burahs), and market welfare associations from Longding, Kanubari, Pongchau, Tissa and at Longding daily market, the procession wound through the main thoroughfares before culminating at the deputy commissioner's office, where organisation representatives met with DC Bekir Nyorak. "The rally represents the collective voice of our people who seek peace and normalcy in their daily lives. Our people have become scapegoats caught between insurgent groups and security forces. Today, we stand united to say enough is enough. We have presented our demands to the govt and administration to take concrete steps to contain insurgency across the district," said Somnai Wangpan, president of the Wancho Council. According to local reports, Longding district has witnessed over 90 abduction cases by various militant outfits since 2018, despite the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) being in force. The Wancho community, predominant in Longding district, has faced the brunt of insurgent activities along the Myanmar border region. Local leaders expressed hope that the unified demonstration would prompt authorities to implement more effective security measures."Today's rally represents the collective voice of our people who seek peace and normalcy in their daily lives. The constant fear of kidnapping, extortion, and violence has disrupted our society for too long. We cannot continue living in fear," said Nokphe Pansa, the president of Longding District Students' Union.
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Indian Express
3 cadres of Myanmar-based outfit killed after Assam man's abduction in Arunachal Pradesh
A 25-year-old man from Assam is missing after he and another construction worker were abducted from Arunachal Pradesh's Longding district on Friday. Three cadres of a militant group were killed on Sunday by security forces in an operation linked to the abduction. According to a Ministry of Defence statement, the two construction workers were abducted on the night of April 25 from Pangchao, around 28 kilometres from the Longding district headquarters. Longding Superintendent of Police Dekio Gumja told The Indian Express that they were working there under a contractor to construct a local school. The contractor told police they had not received a ransom demand, but police suspect the incident is an extortion-related abduction carried out by the Myanmar-based National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang-Yung Aung) or NSCN (KYA). Longding is situated along the porous Indo-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh, and is also close to border areas in neighbouring Nagaland. According to a statement by a Ministry of Defence spokesperson, 'Based on specific intelligence, troops of the Indian Army and the Assam Rifles launched a joint operation in the general area Pangchao on April 27. Contact was established, and in the ensuing firefight, three cadres of the NSCN (KYA) group were neutralised. Four automatic weapons, ammunition and other war-like stores were also recovered in the operation.' While one of the workers, Wangpana, a local from the area, was rescued in the operation, the other, who police have identified as 25-year-old Giyasudin from Assam's Sribhumi district, remains missing. 'The gunfight took place on Sunday morning, and now search operations are taking place. Weapons from the HK series were retrieved from the three bodies, but there were no IDs on them, and they have not yet been identified. The whereabouts of the second worker is not yet known,' said SP Gumja. Longding is situated along the porous Indo-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh, and is also close to border areas in neighbouring Nagaland. It is one of the three districts of the state where the Disturbed Areas notification of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in place, and has seen several instances of kidnapping and extortion by rebel groups.
Express Tribune
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
British MP highlights rights violations in IIOJK
A crucial debate on human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir was held in the UK House of Commons, led by Sarah Smith MP. The debate highlighted the repression under Indian occupation, drawing attention to arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses. Fahim Kayani, President of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK and All Parties Kashmir Alliance UK, congratulated Sarah Smith MP for bringing the issue to the UK Parliament, stating that the discussion exposed the "brutal face of Indian occupation in Kashmir." Opening the debate, Sarah Smith MP criticized India's occupation forces, stating that they continue to enforce "repressive policies, including arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, and other serious abuses." She highlighted that laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, and the Public Safety Act obstruct justice, impede accountability, and deprive victims of their rights. Amnesty International also raised concerns, stating that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act gives Indian forces "de facto legal immunity" for human rights violations, while the UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor stressed that "states must respect human rights obligations and be held accountable for violations." Amnesty's review of habeas corpus petitions revealed a sevenfold increase in Public Safety Act cases after 2019, disproportionately affecting Muslim-majority areas like Srinagar over Hindu-majority Jammu. Several MPs called for the UK to condition its trade agreements with India on improvements in human rights in Kashmir Imran Hussain MP highlighted 70 years of suffering, persecution, and oppression faced by Kashmiris. He condemned enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and what he described as the world's largest military occupation. Ayoub Khan MP questioned the UK's stance on human rights, asking, "How can we claim to champion human rights while turning a blind eye to atrocities in Indian occupied Kashmir?" He compared Kashmir's situation to conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, criticizing Western inaction. Tahir Ali MP challenged India's democratic claims, asking, "If India is the world's largest democracy, why does it refuse international observers in Kashmir?" He condemned extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and the use of pellet guns against schoolchildren, asserting that Kashmir is not a bilateral issue but a matter of self-determination for the Kashmiri people. A number of British MPs, including Andy McDonald, Stella Creasy, Yasmin Qureshi, Jim Shannon, Harpreet Uppal, Gareth Snell, Wendy Morton, and Paul Waugh, participated in the debate, raising concerns over human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The debate reinforced growing international concern over occupied Kashmir and called for greater accountability, transparency, and global intervention to address the ongoing human rights crisis.
