The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, announced on Tuesday that his government intends to remove AFSPA from the entire state by the end of this year. At present, AFSPA is only in effect in eight districts of Assam. Sarma made this declaration while raising the national flag on Independence Day, expressing his enthusiasm for this significant moment in Assam’s history.
The Assam government recently extended the “disturbed area” designation under AFSPA for an additional six months in those eight districts. AFSPA was initially imposed in Assam in November 1990 and has been renewed every six months since then. It grants substantial powers to security forces, allowing them to carry out operations and make arrests without a warrant.
However, there have been calls from civil society organizations and human rights activists to repeal this law due to concerns about violations of human rights. These demands gained momentum after the death of 14 civilians during a failed anti-insurgency operation in Nagaland on December 4, 2021.
