As the Army continues to hold “inquiry” into the killings of 13 civilians in Nagaland, the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been extended for another six months in Nagaland.
The Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act, or AFSPA, gives impunity to the military to operate anywhere that has been declared a “disturbed area”, shoot anyone on the basis of suspicion; no military personnel in an area where AFSPA is in force can be prosecuted without the center’s sanction.
Various groups in Nagaland including the state government had been calling for the withdrawal of the controversial AFSPA.
After the killings of December 13, when 13 civilians were killed by Army personnel, the calls for withdrawal turned intense.
On December 20, the Nagaland assembly unanimously resolved to demand a repeal of AFSPA from the northeast, especially the state.
A five-member committee has been formed under top bureaucrat Vivek Joshi to examine the possibility of withdrawal of AFSPA from Nagaland.