Guwahati: Assam government is considering withdrawing AFSPA from two more locations in the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) was extended for six months from October 1 with the continuation of the ‘Disturbed Area’ tag for Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts along with Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar in the Barak valley.
Sarma was speaking at an event in Guwahati to give away financial aid to 318 members of six insurgent groups who joined the mainstream.
The government has recently withdrawn the controversial Act from West Karbi Anglong district as the situation “considerably improved” there.
The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations and arrest anyone without any prior warrant besides giving immunity from arrest and prosecution to the security forces if they shoot someone dead.
“Peace has returned to Assam and Northeast. Today, AFSPA is withdrawn from 65 per cent areas of the state. In the future, we are considering withdrawing it from Lakhipur of Cachar and the entire Karbi Anglong district,” Sarma said.
Following the withdrawal of two more areas from the ambit of the AFSPA, only six districts in Upper Assam will remain under the law’s purview, he added.
Sarma said the ‘Disturbed Area’ tag under the AFSPA has also been removed from different areas of Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur.
“Assam has seen a lot of bloodsheds. It is our duty to stop it and develop our state. We are planning to launch a big scheme to offer employment opportunities to the unemployed youths of the state,” he added.