In Assam, Afspa withdrawn in 4 districts, extended in four others
The "disturbed area" tag, allowing enforcement of AFSPA, has been withdrawn from four districts in Assam, leaving only four districts with AFSPA.
The “disturbed area” tag, which allows enforcement of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA has been withdrawn from four districts. while the act has been extended in the remaining four districts under the Act for six more months, director general of police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh said on Sunday.
Now, only four of the 35 districts in the state will have AFSPA, the officer said.
The AFSPA gives sweeping powers to the army to search, detain, arrest and even shoot if needed for maintenance of law and order in areas notified as “disturbed”.
AFSPA was first imposed in Assam in November 1990, and has been extended every six months since then after review by the state government.
In April 2022, AFSPA was removed from all areas of the northeastern state except nine districts and one sub-division in one district. Later in October, the purview of the legislation was further reduced to eight districts.
Addressing the gathering at the Assam Police Day celebrations in Guwahati, Singh said, “From today only four districts in the state will have AFSPA. They are Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo.”
Four districts – Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao – have been removed from the act’s purview with effect from October 1, he added.
“Assam has reached a peaceful stage after passing through a volatile phase during the last 30-40 years. Due to the hard work of Assam Police, army and para-military forces, we have this peaceful atmosphere. I thank all of them,” the DGP said.
