The Centre has extended the application of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland for another six months, calling the state’s situation “disturbed and dangerous” just days after forming a panel to study the removal of the controversial law from the state.
“Whereas the Central government is of the opinion that the area comprising the entire State of Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary,” the Union home ministry said in a gazette notification issued on Thursday. As a result, in exercising the powers conferred by Section 3 of the AFSPA, the Central government declares Nagaland to be a “disturbed area” for six months, beginning on December 30.
“Renewing such notifications on their expiry is a routine practise depending on the ground situation,” said an official who did not want to be identified.
“Any decision on removing AFSPA from Nagaland will be made only after the high-level committee led by Vivek Joshi (India’s registrar general and census commissioner) submits its report,” the official added.
The panel was formed in response to public outrage in Nagaland following the killing of 14 civilians in Mon earlier this month. On December 23, Union home minister Amit Shah met with the chief ministers of Nagaland and Assam, Neiphiu Rio and Himanta Biswa Sarma, to make a decision in this regard.
The contentious law gives the armed forces broad powers to conduct operations and arrest people without a warrant. It also gives the forces immunity if they kill someone. For decades, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, parts of Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir have been subject to the AFSPA.
Since the army killed civilians in Mon, mistaking them for insurgents, protests in Nagaland have been held calling for the AFSPA to be repealed. Separately, the army is investigating the killings as part of a botched operation. On Wednesday, an investigation team paid a visit to Mon and took the statements of two witnesses.
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