New Delhi/Kohima/Itanagar, March 29 : The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the black law, Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in disturbed Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh states in India for another six months with effect from April 1.
The Nagaland government official, quoting the Indian MHA notification, said that the AFSPA was extended in 8 districts – Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, and Peren – and 21 police station areas in five other districts of Nagaland, which has 16 districts on Thursday.
Another MHA notification said that the draconian law, AFSPA has been extended for another six months in Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh as well as areas under the jurisdiction of Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district, bordering Assam.
The black law, AFSPA empowers the Indian Army, para-military, and other armed forces to kill and to arrest a person without a warrant, enter or search premises without a warrant, along with some other actions.
The black law AFSPA was also in many areas of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Tripura , Mizoram and Meghalaya.
Many political parties, NGOs, and civil society organisations in the northeastern region have been demanding its complete repeal. The demand intensified after Indian forces killed 14 people and injured 30 others in Nagaland’s Mon district in December 2021.