Nagaland passes resolution seeking roll-back of Afspa
KOHIMA: Denouncing the killing of civilians in Mon district in December by security forces, Nagaland lawmakers on Monday unanimously demanded lifting of Afspa, the law that grants armed forces extensive powers against citizens.
“The Nagaland Legislative Assembly unanimously resolves to demand that the Government of India repeal the Afspa 1958 from the North East and specifically from Nagaland so as to strengthen the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful political settlement to the Naga political issue,” stated a resolution adopted in the state assembly on Monday.
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, also known as Afspa, is in force in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. It allows security forces to open fire on any person on suspicion, and arrest individuals and search premises without warrants, in designated disturbed areas.
The Nagaland assembly had previously adopted resolutions for withdrawal of Afspa in 1971 and 2015.
The 60-member assembly met on Monday in an emergency session in the backdrop of the killing of 13 civilians – including six people in a botched military operation – at the Tiru-oting area in Mon district by 21 Para Special Forces of the Indian Army on December 4, and another civilian killed by security forces in Mon town on December 5 during subsequent clashes, which also resulted in injuries to 35 people.
“The House calls for an apology from the appropriate authority, along with an assurance that justice will be delivered by applying the laws of the land upon those who perpetrated the inhuman massacre... The House appeals to the citizens of Mon district, its civil societies, the citizens of the State and mass based organisations to extend cooperation to the Government and its agencies in our collective efforts to demand justice, and to restore normalcy in the interest of all the citizens,” the resolution said.
Chief minister Neiphiu Rio cited the Oting killings to say security forces had misused Afspa provisions several times.
“Declaration of a state or any area as ‘disturbed area’ under Section 3 of the Afspa is made by the Government of India generally for a period of 6 months at a time. Every time, we have been taking the same stand that there is no need or justification for extending the declaration of Nagaland as a ‘disturbed area’. But every time, our views, and our objections are ignored, and the declaration is renewed,” Rio said. With the current “disturbed area” tag on Nagaland due to expire by December-end, Rio expressed hope that the Centre will not extend it any further.