New Delhi, July 1 (PTI/MExN): The entire State of Nagaland has been declared a “disturbed area” for six more months, till December-end, in order to facilitate the AFSPA which empowers security forces to conduct operations in the “disturbed areas” and shoot to kill or arrest anyone on suspicion and without prior notice.
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has been in force in the Naga lands since 1958.
In a notification issued by Joint Secretary, Satyendra Garg, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated the central government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole 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.”
The decision to continue the declaration of Nagaland as “disturbed area” has been taken as “killings, loot and extortion have been going on in various parts of the State which necessitated the action for the convenience of the security forces operating there,” an MHA official said.
There have been demands from various organisations in the North East as well as in Jammu and Kashmir for repealing the controversial AFSPA, which, they say, gives “sweeping powers” to security forces.
The AFSPA has been in force in Nagaland for several decades. It has not been withdrawn even after a framework agreement was signed on August 3, 2015, by NSCN (IM) General Secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah, and government interlocutor R N Ravi in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years with a breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was signed between the NSCN (IM) and Government of India.
