AFSPA enforced across Manipur, with exceptions in select areas
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Synopsis
The MHA has extended AFSPA across Manipur for six months, excluding 13 police station areas. The law, granting sweeping powers to security forces, remains in effect due to ongoing security concerns and insurgency-related violence.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) across the entire state of Manipur, barring the jurisdiction of 13 police stations, for another six months. The decision comes amid ongoing concerns over the law-and-order situation in the state.
A notification issued by the MHA on Sunday stated that after reviewing the security conditions, the central government has declared Manipur a 'disturbed area' under Section 3 of the AFSPA, 1958. The extension will be in effect from April 1, 2025, unless withdrawn earlier. The police station areas where AFSPA will not be enforced include Imphal, Lamphal, City, Singjamei, Patsoi, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Irilbung, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, and Kakching.
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In addition to Manipur, the contentious law has also been extended to eight districts in Nagaland and 21 police station areas in five other districts of the state for six months. Further, the AFSPA will remain in force in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts, along with three police station areas in Namsai district.
The AFSPA grants armed forces sweeping powers to search, arrest, and open fire if necessary in areas designated as disturbed. It also provides them immunity from prosecution unless sanctioned by the central government. While security agencies justify the law as crucial for counter-insurgency operations, critics have long described it as draconian, alleging human rights violations under its ambit.
Manipur has witnessed decades of insurgency, with multiple armed groups operating across the state, often clashing with security forces and each other. The violence stems from demands ranging from greater autonomy to outright independence by various ethnic groups.
Over the years, these conflicts have led to numerous fatalities and episodes of unrest, prompting repeated extensions of AFSPA. Despite periods of relative peace, fresh outbreaks of ethnic violence in recent times have necessitated the continued presence of security forces in the region.