Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday to discuss the roadmap for the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from Assam.
The meeting took place a day after the Home Ministry announced that the disturbed areas under the AFSPA in Assam would be further reduced. The new notification will come into effect on September 15.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sarma said that the Assam government will take further steps for the complete withdrawal of AFSPA from the state based on the suggestions of the Home Minister.
“I met the Home Minister today and discussed the roadmap for the complete withdrawal of AFSPA from Assam. The Home Minister has assured me that the government will take all necessary steps to ensure the complete withdrawal of AFSPA from the state,” Sarma said.
The AFSPA was first imposed in Assam in 1990. It gives the armed forces sweeping powers to search, arrest and shoot in areas declared as “disturbed”.
The withdrawal of AFSPA has been a long-standing demand of the people of Assam. The state has been largely peaceful in recent years, and there is a growing consensus that the AFSPA is no longer necessary.