AFSPA

The Assam government will extend the 'disturbed area' tag under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) for another six months in eight districts of the state from April 1. It will be extended for Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, according to a notification issued by the state home and political department. The tag, however, would be lifted from Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar district from April 1, following a review of the law and order scenario in the state. The Centre had earlier announced removal of AFSPA from April 1, 2022 from the entire state of Assam barring nine districts and a sub-division of Cachar district. The state was declared a 'disturbed area' under AFSPA during the intervening night of November 27-28, 1990, and this has been extended every six months since then.

The Assam government has extended the 'disturbed area' notification under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) for another six months in eight districts of the state from April one next. The disturbed area tag has been extended for Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, according to a notification, issued by the state home and political department, released to the media on Wednesday. The 'disturbed area' tag will, however, be lifted from Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar district from April 1, following a review of the law and order and security scenario in the state. The centre had earlier announced removal AFSPA from April 1, 2022 from the entire state of Assam barring nine districts and a sub-division of Cachar district. The state was declared a 'disturbed area' under AFSPA during the intervening night of November 27-28, 1990 and this has been extended every six months since then. It was last extended for six months on

Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday welcomed the lifting of AFSPA from more parts of the Northeast, maintaining it will ensure further growth of the region. He also maintained that militants are leaving the path of violence and joining nation-building efforts in the northeastern states. "Further relaxation of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 or AFSPA from many areas of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur is another welcome step by the Modi govt," Sonowal said in a statement here. He said sustained and conscious efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have resulted in permanent peace in the region. "On behalf of all the people of the region, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah," the former Assam chief minister said. Sonowal maintained that "dark days of violence, disturbance and insurgency during the Congress government" are now things of past. "The insurgents have chosen to reject the road of violence as they jo

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said his government is considering withdrawing AFSPA from two more locations in the state. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) was extended for six months from October 1 with the continuation of the 'Disturbed Area' tag for Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts along with Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar in the Barak valley. The government had withdrawn the controversial law from West Karbi Anglong district as the situation "considerably improved" there. The Armed Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 empowers security forces to conduct operations and arrest anyone without any prior warrant besides giving immunity from arrest and prosecution to the security forces if they shoot someone dead. "Peace has returned to Assam and Northeast. Today, AFSPA is withdrawn from 65 per cent areas of the state. In the future, we are considering to withdraw it from ...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government would remove Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) only after installing peace in northeast India."Rahul Gandhi gave Congress an agenda to remove AFSPA from the northeast if they came to power (in 2019), for the sake of appeasement. When it was asked of me, I said we will first bring peace in the northeast and then only will remove AFSPA, which would not happen just for appeasement," Amit Shah said addressing a public gathering at the inauguration of the newly built BJP office-- Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati, which is spread over 95,000 square feet and is the party's biggest office in the northeastern region, expected to be full of all modern amenities.The Ministry of Home Affairs recently extended the AFSPA, an act that empowers the armed forces to maintain public order in "disturbed areas," in some parts of the northeast for another six months.In an order on October 1, the ...

The Central government has extended the AFSPA in 9 districts of Nagaland including Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren and Zunheboto from Saturday to March 30 next year

Govt must work for lasting political peace

Opposition politicians talking about autonomy for central agencies are hypocritical when they discourage it in the states they govern

The IPC alone offers a bouquet of choices to suppress freedom of expression

All draconian laws must be reviewed

Union Home Minister said that due to the efforts of the Centre and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, most of the militant outfits have entered into peace agreements

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act has been revoked from 23 districts, and partially from one district. I am confident that it will be completely withdrawn from the entire state soon, he said

PM Modi also said the effect of the BJP's "double engine" government is evident in the return of permanent peace and speedy development in Assam

Selective AFSPA relaxation changes little

The Army said that it was a case of "mistaken identity" as there was credible information about the movement of armed insurgents in the area in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh

The region has been given due attention since Modi became prime minister in 2014, he said, adding that no one could have thought that he will visit the region over 50 times in his tenure so far

The governor of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Friday accused Russia of breaking its promises in terms of allowing humanitarian aid to reach the city of Mariupol

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, was completely withdrawn in Meghalaya in 2018, Tripura in 2015 and Mizoram in the 1980s.

The AFSPA has been in force for decades in the three Northeastern states to assist the armed forces operating there to tackle insurgency