AFSPA withdrawn from four districts in Assam, extended in other four for six months

The Assam Police has officially announced the extension of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, commonly known as AFSPA, for an additional six months in four districts of the State. This decision comes as part of the Assam Police Day 2023 celebrations, with the Director General of Police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh providing insights into the development.

While addressing the gathering at the event, DGP Gyanendra Pratap Singh revealed that the 'disturbed area' classification, which enables the enforcement of AFSPA, has been lifted from four other districts simultaneously. This significant shift in the application of the act is set to have a notable impact on the security landscape in Assam. 

"Starting today, only four districts in Assam will continue to be under the purview of AFSPA. These districts are Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, and Charaideo," DGP Singh announced.
Conversely, AFSPA has been withdrawn from the districts of Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao, effective from October 1, 2023.

It is worth noting that the Assam government had previously extended the 'disturbed area' notification under AFSPA for an additional six months, commencing from April 1, encompassing all eight of these districts.

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act grants extensive powers to security forces, including the authority to conduct operations and make arrests without the necessity of a prior warrant. Additionally, the act provides immunity to security forces from arrest and prosecution in cases involving the use of lethal force. The decision to extend AFSPA in certain regions and withdraw it from others underscores the dynamic security situation in Assam and the ongoing efforts to strike a balance between maintaining law and order and upholding civil liberties.

In a related development, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was also recently extended in specific areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, signifying its continued significance in maintaining security in certain parts of the region.