Following a proposal from the Assam government, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has chosen to maintain the current "status quo" regarding the classification of these areas as "disturbed" for another six months.
The MHA issued a notification to declare the areas as disturbed areas. The three districts where the AFSPA has been extended for the next three months are Tirap, Changlang, and Longding.
The families of the three boys killed in the fake encounter have, on Tuesday, dubbed the granting of bail to the captain as a “grave injustice”. They vowed not to remain silent but to move a higher court.
Are we in the habit of first taking a wait-and-watch approach, or just play a routine role, and then look for ways to blame others when things spill out of control? Is it a kind of play-safe approach we follow without coming to action mode and facilitating quick solutions? Had there been genuine intent followed by real action, things may have gone a different way
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that AFSPA will be completely withdrawn from the state within this year.
The Centre on Sunday constituted a high-level committee, headed by a secretary-rank officer, to examine the possibility of lifting the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Nagaland.
The AFSPA (1958) that happens to be one of the most draconian instruments of security and control, first applied to Assam and Manipur and later amended in 1972 to extend to Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland, vests unaccountable and extraordinary powers with the armed forces. The public consciousness against the AFPSA was raised when a group of elderly and middle-aged women from different organisations of the Meira Paibi the largest civilian movement fighting state atrocities and human rights violations in Manipur, besides drug abuse and crimes against women - led a protest march against the rape of Thangjam Manorama by soldiers of Assam Rifles. The fast unto death begun by Irom Chanu Sharmila on 2 November 2000, in protest against the Act, that continued well into August 2016, stirred public conscience
Nagaland has been under the coverage of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) for almost six decades.
The day political parties truly demonstrate that the real weight of those three seats from J&K in Parliament is worth 100 per cent to the 'idea of India', maybe the tide will finally turn. The perpetuation of the 'us-versus-them' storyline within J&K has to end, the security forces need to keep up the steel and guard as they have done so selflessly for decades ~wherever AFSPA is required, so be it ~but the government has to demonstrate empathy, compassion and creativity in reaching-out to the mainstream, politically and psychologically.
The Ministry had last time extended AFSPA in the state on June 30 for six months which was scheduled to end on December 29.
