NEW DELHI: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which gives special powers to armed forces in the disturbed regions, has been completely removed from Meghalaya and restricted in Arunachal Pradesh.
”Union Home Ministry has removed Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from Meghalaya and reduced it to eight police stations in Arunachal Pradesh, a senior Home Ministry official was quoted as saying by IANS on Monday.
“AFSPA was totally withdrawn from all areas of Meghalaya from April 1. In Arunachal, it is down from 16 police stations to eight,” the official added.
The decision to remove AFSPA from Meghalaya and parts of Arunachal Pradesh was taken due to significant improvement of security situation in the two states, Home Ministry sources were quoted as saying by media reports.
Though removed from almost all of Meghalaya, the AFSPA has, however, been extended by another six months in three eastern districts of Arunachal Pradesh – Tirap, Longding and Changlang.
These three eastern districts of Arunachal Pradesh share the border with Myanmar and some specific areas under eight police stations in seven other districts bordering Assam.
The three districts have been under the AFSPA since January 2016.
The controversial Act was withdrawn from Tripura in 2015 and in past one year, fewer areas in the northeast are under the Act, the official said, adding that the Act was only in place in Meghalaya for a 20-km area along the Assam border) and not in operation in Mizoram.
AFSPA gives special powers to the Army and central forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill anyone acting in contravention of law, arrest and search any premises without a warrant and provide cover to forces from prosecution and legal suits without the Central government’s sanction.
It is still effective in the whole of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding seven Assembly constituencies of Imphal). The state governments of Assam and Manipur now have the powers to keep or revoke the Act.
(With IANS Inputs)
Source: Zee News