Correspondent
IMPHAL, March 6
A Manipuri cyclist S Bidyalakshmi Leima from Jiribam sub-division will begin her cycling tour in the national capital to spread the message of stopping racial attack on North East people particularly the student community.
Bidyalakshmi’s 10-day cycle campaign was formally flagged off by president of Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee (STDC) Dr Yumnam Muhindro during a simple gathering at Manipur Press Club, Imphal this morning. The Imphal solidarity group organized the day’s flagging off ceremony.
18-year-old Bidyalakshmi’s cycle rally campaign in Delhi comes after her successful completion of another cycle campaign to stop violence against women and children throughout the north eastern states of India by riding her bicycle for more than two months in the region in 2013 end.During the campaign Bidyalaxmi Leima will cycle around the national capital New Delhi and spread the message to stop racial attacks on NE people.
Bidyalakshmi has the full support of her family in her venture. She is the fourth of five siblings. Four of them are girls. Her father Sougaijam Iboton, chief functionary of Child Welfare Ashram, a children’s home at Jiribam town located 222km from Imphal, was present during the day’s flagging-off ceremony. Consultation on People’s Manifesto held: A consultation on people’s Manifesto was held under the aegis of Human Rights Alert, WADA-NA, TODO, ADHIYAN and other human rights groups of Manipur at Manipur Press Club, Imphal today.
The consultation which aims to express people’s expectations from the representatives of the state prepared a list of aspirations of the people of the state.
Among the aspirations of the gathering-repeal of AFSPA, non-compromise of inter-state and international boundaries of Manipur, providing legal and administrative safeguard to protect the rights of indigenous population within the framework of the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous people could be mentioned.
Declaration of Hepatitis C a public health emergency in the state was also included in the list of the aspirations of the people’s manifesto.
