The Central Government has announced Thursday that the areas under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur will be reduced after decades of disturbance.
Amit Shah, the Indian Home Minister took to twitter to announce, “In a significant step, GoI under the decisive leadership of PM Shri @NarendraModi Ji has decided to reduce disturbed areas under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the states of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur after decades.”
In a significant step, GoI under the decisive leadership of PM Shri @NarendraModi Ji has decided to reduce disturbed areas under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the states of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur after decades.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 31, 2022
AFSPA empowers Government forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior warrant and fire at anyone, even to the causing of injury or death to that person on the basis of suspicion. It also gives a certain impunity to the security forces in case of an operation going wrong.
The Assam government on March 1 had extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the entire state for six more months with effect from February 28. The AFSPA was imposed in Assam in November 1990 and has been extended every six months since then after a review by the state government.
The act was extended to Jammu Kashmir on the 5th day of July, 1990.