Assam Removes AFSPA From 4 Districts, Extends To Four More Districts For Six Months

The Assam administration has decided to eliminate the implementation of the disputed Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in four districts and extend its duration by six months in four different districts.

Gyanendra Pratap Singh, the Director General of Police, declared the decision at an event commemorating Assam Police Day in Guwahati on Sunday. However, the enactment of AFSPA requires notification from the state government or Centre.

"From today, only four districts in the state will have AFSPA. They are Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo," the DGP said while adding that four districts, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao have been removed from its purview.

The prohibited United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), which operates from areas in Myanmar, remains operative in the four districts, where the law will persist in its imposition.

AFSPA provides extensive authority to the military to conduct searches, detain or arrest, and even fire if necessary, to uphold law and order in regions designated as "disturbed".

The AFSPA was initially implemented throughout Assam in 1990, at the height of insurgency by ULFA. From then on, it has been renewed every six months, with certain regions being exempted following an evaluation of the local law and enforcement circumstances.

Last year in April, the Centre lifted the enforcement of AFSPA in Assam, excluding 9 districts and one sub-section within a district. By October last year, the extent of the law was narrowed down to eight districts.