All Manipur Students’ Union (AMS)
The All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) has been working since its inception to protect human rights, especially the rights of landless indigenous people who have been forcibly evicted from their lands to make way for mining projects and the right to education and basic needs for the local community. AMSU has advocated against systemic human rights violations by the Indian state and led campaigns against extra judicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence committed by Indian security forces in the State. It has consistently called for the repeal of the regressive Armed Forces Special Powers Act which applies to the North Eastern States.
Human rights defenders in India face a diverse range of attacks and harassment from state and non-state actors alike, including killing, physical assault, arbitrary detention, threats and judicial harassment. The crackdown on HRDs is especially strong in the North Eastern States, in response to widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act passed on 10 December. The Act has been widely condemned by rights groups for targeting the Muslim minority. It has also raised concerns, especially in the North Eastern States, of being a deliberate attempt to change the demography of the region and further undermine the rights of indigenous people. The State has responded by a disproportionate use of force by police and armed forces against protesters, and by targeting and criminalizing student leaders and human rights defenders for their involvement in a peaceful campaign against what they believe is a regressive law.
