Photo: PTI (Representational image)
Guwahati, Sept 27: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been extended 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.
Declaring an area as disturbed under AFSPA enables the armed forces to conduct operations more effectively.
The Act grants the armed forces broad authority to search, arrest, and use force, including firing, if necessary, to maintain public order.
According to a notification released on Wednesday night, the districts and police station areas have once again been declared "disturbed areas" under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958. The act has been extended for six months, effective from October 1, 2024, unless it has been withdrawn before.
Reportedly, the AFSPA has been reinstated in Nagaland's Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, and Peren districts.
Furthermore, in a separate notification, the Home Ministry mentioned that under the AFSPA, the central government has designated Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh, along with the areas under the jurisdiction of Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district—adjacent to Assam—as 'disturbed areas' as of April 1, 2024. The notification also stated that a more thorough assessment of Arunachal Pradesh's law and order situation had been conducted.
Earlier in March, the Central Government extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, in eight districts and 21 police stations across five districts of Nagaland.
