Manipur Governor S.S. Sidhu said today that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would meet a delegation of the Apunba Lup during his visit to the state on November 20.Sidhu told reporters here that all preparations have been made for the handover of Kangla Fort in Imphal to the state government. Today, the Governor met both the PM and Home Minister Shivraj Patil to discuss the modalities of the visit. Handing over of the Kangla Fort to the state has been one of the chief demands of the Apunba Lup, an umbrella body of 32 organisations, which was spearheading the protests following the alleged rape and custodial killing of Manorama Devi by Assam Rifles personnel. The fort presently serves as the headquaters of the Assam Rifles in the state. After taking possession of the fort, the state government would convert it into a heritage site, the Governor said. The main demand of the Lup, however, remains the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the state. The PM, during his meeting with a Apunba Lup delegation in the Capital earlier this month, had assured that the Act would be replaced by a more ‘‘humane’’ one. Singh is also likely to announce the constitution of the expert committee to look into AFSPA and its replacement. He is expected to lay the foundation stone of a railway line in the state.
