“AFSPA jurisdiction reduced in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur due to improved security in Northeast India”.
The Centre has decided to further reduce the jurisdiction of ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur, citing improved security in the Northeast.
Last year, the Centre had removed AFSPA from several districts across Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur, and with the latest decision, starting April 1, the Disturbed Areas notification will be lifted from one more district in Assam, four more police stations in Manipur, and three more police stations in Nagaland.
AFSPA will now be restricted to only eight districts of Assam, and in Manipur, after last year’s announcement and the latest one, AFSPA has been removed from a total of “19 police stations in seven districts of Manipur,” and in Nagaland, a total of “19 police stations in seven districts of Manipur have been removed from the disturbed area notification under AFSPA.”
On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued two separate gazette notifications, extending for six months the disturbed area status in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland under the AFSPA.
