Northeast political forum asks Centre to scrap AFSPA

New Delhi, Jan 21: A forum of political parties from the northeast on Tuesday demanded immediate scrapping of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and stop its "misuse" in the region.

A delegation of North East Regional Political Front (NERPF), led by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, met Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and also placed a host of other demands.

Voicing serious concern over illegal infiltration into the northeastern region, NERPF urged Shinde to do the needful to check influx from Bangladesh.

The Front opposed the India-Bangladesh land boundary agreement through which some border enclaves would be exchanged between the two countries.

Rio and Mahanta expressed concern over continued incursion by China in Arunachal Pradesh and urged the central government to take up the matter immediately with Beijing.

NERPF also opposed China's move to construct dams in the upper reaches of Brahmaputra and attempt to divert the river saying Brahmaputra is the lifeline of the northeastern region and any attempt to interfere with its natural flow should be considered as an act of aggression.

PTI