Guwahati, October 9: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, has been extended for six months in four districts of Assam in view of the recent disturbances in the neighbouring Bangladesh.
The four districts Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, and Sivasagar will remain designated as "disturbed areas" under AFSPA, a notification issued by the state government said, on Tuesday. The act grants security forces extensive powers, including the ability to conduct operations and make arrests without prior warrants, along with providing them immunity in the event of operational mishaps.
"Due to sustained efforts and proactive counter insurgency measures of the Security Forces, the overall scenario in the State of Assam has significantly improved during the last few years and particularly during the last three years. However, due to the recent disturbances in the neighbouring country Bangladesh and its potentially inimical effect on internal law and order situation, the Government of Assam recommends that the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 may be retained for another 6 (six) months," the notification read.
The Ministry of Home Affairs received the proposal to extend AFSPA and, after careful deliberation, determined to preserve the "status quo" in the four districts as of October 1, 2024. Since October 2023, these districts have been governed by AFSPA, after the AFSPA was gradually removed from other areas of Assam.
Last year, AFSPA was removed from the districts of Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao, and previously from additional regions. AFSPA, first implemented in Assam on 27 November ,1990 when Operation Bajrang was launched by Indian Army banning the militant group ULFA, has been extended biannually for over three decades.
Despite calls from civil society groups and human rights activists to repeal what they describe as a "draconian law" due to alleged human rights abuses, the act remains in place to support counter-insurgency efforts in the region.
Declaring an area as disturbed under the contentious Act enables the armed forces to conduct operations more "effectively". Last month, the Centre extended AFSPA for six more months in eight districts of Nagaland, three districts of Arunachal Pradesh, and other regions, following a review of the law and order situation in these north-eastern states.
