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Assam recommends Centre to withdraw AFSPA from entire state by Oct 1
AFSPA was imposed in various disturbed areas of Assam in 1990 and last year the Union home ministry, due to improved law and order situations, removed it from all the areas except some districts and the Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar
The Assam government on Friday made a recommendation to the Central government to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Area Act entirety from state by October 1.
The decision was taken during the cabinet meeting led by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held in Guwahati on Friday evening.
Sarma after the meeting said that the state cabinet has approved the decision and the recommendation will be officially placed before the central government soon.
“Considering the present situation in the state, we have come to this decision. We are moving towards our aim to remove AFSPA and the Disturbed Area Act completely as per our commitment and we are officially recommending the central government to remove these acts by October 1,” he said.
Sarma said that AFSPA and the Disturbed Area Act have been in effect in Assam since 1990 and the situation presently in the state is completely different.
“The final decision will be taken by the central government but we have worked on making the situation favourable so that they can withdraw these acts,” Sarma said.
AFSPA is an act of the Parliament of India that grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”.
Earlier this week, Sarma met Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and later he wrote on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) that they held a discussion over the “complete withdrawal of AFSPA from the state”.
Sarma said his government will take further steps based on the suggestions given by the Union home minister.
AFSPA was imposed in various disturbed areas of Assam in 1990 and last year the Union home ministry, due to improved law and order situations, removed it from all the areas except some districts and the Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar.
The disturbed area tag, imposed under the AFSPA, was removed from the entire state of Assam, except nine districts and one sub-division of one district, from April 1, 2022.
Now, it has been limited to only eight districts in the northeastern state, which include Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.
Sarma during his speech on this year’s Independence Day celebration in Guwahati, said the state government is willing to make necessary provisions so that the Union government withdraws AFSPA.
“We will take necessary and fruitful steps to withdraw the AFSPA from every district of Assam and we are hopeful that it’ll be possible by the end of this year. We are witnessing Amritkal under the leadership of Narendra Modi and complete withdrawal of AFSPA will bring an ‘amritmay’ time for Assam,” he had said.
Due to the disturbance in the state, AFSPA was extended in Assam several times since 1990, Sarma said. “...now, the northeast region is free from terrorism. In the last three years, four peace accords were signed with rebels of Assam and around 8,000 rebels have returned to the mainstream,” said Sarma.
Apart from AFSPA, the Assam cabinet decided to bring reforms to the Panchayati Raj Act as the state is heading towards the Panchayat election later this year.
Sarma said that there will be an indirect election for the post of president in Gaon Panchayat and the president will be elected from the 10 GP members. There will be no party symbols for candidates contesting the elections, however, party symbols can be used in elections of Zilla Parishad and Anchalik Panchayat, the CM said.
