UKHRUL: The Centre has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in specified areas of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for another six months from October 1, the Ministry of Home Affairsin a notification issued on September 24 said.
In Manipur, the Centre has retained the disturbed-area declaration across the state, except for areas under 13 police stations in five districts. The decision it said was taken after a further review of the law-and-order situation in the state.
The AFSPA extension will remain in force until March 31, 2027, unless withdrawn earlier.
The 13 police station areas excluded from the notification are Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Patsoi and Wangoi in Imphal West; Porompat, Heingang and Irilbung in Imphal East; Thoubal; Bishnupur and Nambol; and Kakching.
The latest order makes no change to the areas excluded from AFSPA. The same 13 police station areas were kept outside the disturbed-area declaration in the previous order, which was effective from April 1.
The extension comes as security concerns continue in several parts of the state, particularly in the hill districts of Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Noney, Ukhrul and Kamjong districts.
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In Kamjong, four Naga civilians were reportedly killed at Pilong on September 24. The incident was followed by calls from local civil society organisations for security measures and action against those responsible.
Several Naga villages along the Imphal-Tamenglong road in Kangpokpi have also reported attacks in recent weeks, with several casualties, largely civilians, houses burnt and villagers displaced from their respective villages.
The latest AFSPA notification, however, does not refer to any particular incident or armed group. It cites the law-and-order situation as the basis for continuing the disturbed-area declaration.
Security forces have continued operations and security reviews in vulnerable areas of the state. In Ukhrul, senior security officials led by Manipur DGP have recently reviewed deployments in parts of the district following incidents reported from the wider region.
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