The government has extended the implementation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA in four districts of Assam after reports of “recent disturbances” in the neighbouring country Bangladesh emerged.
Which districts saw the extension of AFSPA?
As per a notification issued on Tuesday, the districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar in Assam have been designated as “disturbed areas” under AFSPA.
What prompted the move?
The notification mentions that although the state has seen significant improvement in the security situation, the recent move comes amid “recent disturbances in the neighbouring country Bangladesh and its potentially inimical effect on internal law and order situation.”
The Assam government has recommended that the extension should be retained for the next six months.
The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which after due consideration decided to maintain the “status quo” regarding disturbed areas in the state for a further period of six months from October 1, the notification said.
AFSPA and Assam
Since 2023, the government has been gradually withdrawing AFSPA from Assam with the four districts mentioned above the only ones remaining under its purview.
It was withdrawn from Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao last year.
The AFSPA was first imposed in Assam in November 1990 and has been extended every six months since then.
The Act empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior warrant. It also gives a certain level of immunity to the security forces in case of an operation going wrong.
With inputs from agencies
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AFSPA extended in 4 districts of Assam amid ‘disturbances’ in Bangladesh
