New Delhi: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) will now be in place across all districts of Manipur, save for 13 police station areas, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Sunday. AFSPA will also remain in place for six more months in the Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh and the Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police station areas of the state.
The police station areas in Manipur where AFSPA will not be in place are Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Patsoi, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Lamlai, Irilbung, and Leimakhong.
Manipur has been rocked by ethnic clashes between the Meiteis from the valley districts and the Kuki-Zos from the hills, since May 3, 2024. The violence has left over 250 people dead and thousands have been rendered homeless. Anarchy reigned for a while with women and children being attacked, armouries looted and property destroyed. Finally, the Army, along with the Assam Rifles – under the Army’s operational command – took charge of the situation and succeeded in restoring some order in the state.
This, and the fact that the elected government in the state resigned on February 2025, made the imposition of AFSPA a necessity. This Act allows armed forces personnel to enter houses, and carry out search and seizure operations on their own, without warrants. The Act also permits the armed forces to detain people and use whatever force is necessary to ensure peace in demarcated ‘disturbed areas’.
AFSPA will also continue to remain in place in eight districts of Nagaland and 21 police station areas in five other districts. All three states are situated along the country’s northern and northeastern borders and considered extremely vulnerable, hence the decision.
Historical Context and Legal Implications:
Originally enacted in 1958, AFSPA was first implemented in Manipur’s Naga-dominated districts of Senapati, Tamenglong, and Ukhrul to counter Naga insurgencies. It was later expanded to the Kuki-Zomi regions during the Mizo insurgency in the 1960s and eventually covered the entire state by 1980 due to escalating Meitei insurgencies.
The Act grants armed forces the authority to open fire, arrest individuals suspected of offenses, and search premises without prior approval. Additionally, it provides legal immunity to personnel for actions taken under its provisions, requiring central government sanction for any legal proceedings against them.
Apart from the northeastern states, AFSPA is also in place in Jammu & Kashmir.
