Assam removes AFSPA from four districts, extends it to four others

Assam DGP Gyanendra Pratap Singh announced the decision during his address at the Assam Police Day celebrations in Guwahati on Sunday

Updated on: Oct 1, 2023, 19:17:08 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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The Assam government has decided to remove application of the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from four districts while extending it to four others for a period of six months.

AFSPA gives sweeping powers to the Army to search, detain, arrest and even shoot if needed for maintenance of law and order in areas which are notified as ‘disturbed’. (Representative Image)

Director general of police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh announced the decision during his address at a programme to celebrate the Assam Police Day in Guwahati on Sunday. For AFSPA to be enforced, the state government or Centre has to notify the same.

“From today, only four districts in the state will have AFSPA. They are Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo,” the DGP said while adding that four districts, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao have been removed from its purview.

The banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), which has bases in neighbouring Mynamar, is still active in the four districts, where the legislation will continue to be enforced.

AFSPA gives sweeping powers to the Army to search, detain, arrest and even shoot if needed for maintenance of law and order in areas which are notified as “disturbed”.

AFSPA was first enforced across Assam in 1990 at the height of insurgency by ULFA. It has been extended every six months since then with some areas getting excluded after a review of the law and order situation on the ground.

Last year in April, the Centre removed application of AFSPA from all areas in Assam except 9 districts and one sub-division in one district. In October last year, the purview of the legislation was further reduced to eight districts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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