Act covers areas where insurgency is still active

The regions still under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa) in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland are still under influence of insurgents, police officials in the states said.

On Thursday, the Central government had removed Afspa completely from 23 districts and partially from one district of Assam; fully from 3 districts and partial from 4 in Nagaland; and from 15 police stations in 6 districts of Manipur.

In Assam, officials said the Afspa will remain in districts of Upper Assam where United Liberation Front of Asom-independent (ULFA-I) is still active and in the hill districts of the state, where the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) has a presence.

On Friday, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma appealed to militant organisations to give up arms. “I appeal to ULFA-I and other militant organisations to come forward and take part in the peace process...” said Sarma in the state assembly.

But like Manipur, Assam didn’t witness prolonged protests against Afspa. Senior journalist Rajeev Bhattacharya said the situation in the state in the 1990s demanded the implementation of Afspa. “There were protest in particular cases in Assam.. but it wasn’t like Manipur or other parts of the country,” he said.

In Mon district of Nagaland, where 13 civilians were killed at Oting on December 4 and 5, 2021, in a botched military operation, Afspa remains in place. Districts along the border with Myanmar — Noklak, Kiphire and Phek — will also remain under the controversial law.

“Removing Afspa would not had been possible as insurgency activities still happen on the porous Myanmar border. People living on two sides of the border have cultural and ethnic bonding,” said a senior government official, who was not willing to be quoted.

In Manipur, Afspa will be completely lifted from 15 police stations — Sekmai, Lamsang, Patsoi, Lamlai, Irilbung, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Jiribam, Imphal West, Lamphel, Singjamei, Porompat, Heingang and Imphal City police stations — in 6 districts.

Most areas in Manipur from where Afspa has been lifted fall in the Imphal Valley or urban areas where terrorist groups don’t have much influence.