The “disturbed area” designation granted by the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, to portions of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland was extended by the Union home ministry on Friday for a period of six months.
The decisions were made after a study of the law-and-order situation in both jurisdictions, according to two separate notices.
Armed forces personnel operating in unrest zones are given broad rights under the AFSPA to search, detain, and fire if they judge it necessary for the “maintenance of public order.”
According to the home ministry, the Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the areas under the control of Namsai and Mahadevpur police stations in Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering the state of Assam, were declared “disturbed areas” on September 30, 2022, by the central government acting under the authority granted by Section 3 of the AFSPA 1958 (28 of 1958).
Via the new notification, one additional police station area has been added to the AFSPA’s scope.
“And while further investigation into the state of law and order in Arunachal Pradesh has been conducted. Therefore, the areas bordering the state of Assam in the Arunachal Pradesh districts of Tirap, Changlang, and Longding as well as the Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham police stations are now designated as “disturbed areas” under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, for a period of six months beginning on April 1, 2023, unless withdrawn earlier.
In the other notification, the home ministry stated that the central government had declared nine districts and 16 police stations in four other districts of Nagaland as “disturbed areas” for a period of six months beginning on October 1, 2022, in accordance with the authority granted by Section 3 of the AFSPA, 1958 (28 of 1958).
It stated that as of right now, 21 police station areas coming under five other districts as well as eight districts will be subject to the disturbed area designation.
And while there has been a further investigation on the state of law and order in Nagaland. Now, therefore, Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, and Peren districts in Nagaland, as well as the regions in Nagaland that are under the jurisdiction of the following police stations: I Khuzama, Kohima North, Kohima South, Zubza, and Kezocha police stations in Kohima District; ii) Mangkolemba, Mokokchung-I