Guwahati: The ministry of home affairs has extended the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act (Afspa) for another six months in Nagaland. The notification issued by the ministry of home affairs on Sunday stated, “The Central government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of the 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. Now, therefore in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (No. 28 of 1958) the Central government, hereby declares that whole of the said state to be a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of six months with effect from June 30, 2019 for the purpose of that Act.”
The Afspa, which grants special powers to the Indian armed forces in disturbed areas, has been in force in Nagaland for several decades and it has not been withdrawn despite a framework agreement signed in August 2015.
Security sources said that the decision to extend Afspa was taken. as the security establishment felt that it was not the right time to withdraw the measure.
The decision to maintain status quo in Nagaland regarding coverage of Afspa came even as insurgency has shown a massive decline not only in Nagaland but in entire Northeastern states too.
