MHA notified for extension of AFSPA in 8 Districts of Nagaland

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 29-03-2024

MHA notified for extension of AFSPA in 8 Districts of Nagaland

Defence 4 min read

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in certain districts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for an additional six months starting from April 1.

According to a Nagaland government official who quoted the MHA notification, AFSPA has been extended in 8 districts, including Dimapur, Niuland, Chumukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, and Peren. Additionally, 21 police station areas in five other districts of Nagaland, which has 16 districts, are also affected.
The Indian government has extended AFSPA in several districts of Arunachal Pradesh for another six months. This information was provided through an MHA notification. The districts that are affected by this extension are Tirap, Changlang, and Longding. Moreover, areas under the jurisdiction of Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district bordering Assam are also covered by this extension.
After reviewing the situation of law and order in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, the Centre decided to take this step.
The AFSPA empowers the Army, para-military, and other security forces to take certain actions without a warrant, including arresting someone, searching premises, and performing other actions.
In April 2022, the Centre reduced the number of areas where AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) was in effect in Nagaland, Assam, and Manipur. The Act was lifted from Tripura in 2015, Meghalaya in 2018, and Mizoram in the 1980s.

Armed Force(Special Powers) Act 1958

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 was created in September of that year. This Act applies to the North-Eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
Under the Act, the state governor or the central government has the power to declare a whole or part of the state as a 'disturbed area'.
The security forces operating in this area gain special powers, including the power to fire upon protesters or suspected individuals.
The provisions of the AFSP Act are valid for six months. However, the government can extend the AFSPA after every six months. The provisions of the AFSP Act 1958 are stringent.
It was created to grant special powers to the security forces to deal with insurgent groups operating in these regions. However, the broad powers given to the security forces have also led to cases of human rights violations and excess.