New Delhi: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma met Union Home Minister
Amit Shah here and discussed the roadmap for complete withdrawal of the Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA from the State.
CM Sarma said the Assam Government will take further steps based on
the suggestions of the Home Minister.
“I met Hon’ble Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji at his residence
today to discuss the roadmap for the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces
Special Powers Act from Assam. The Government of Assam will take further steps
based on the suggestions of Hon’ble Home Minister,” he wrote on microblogging
site X.
The controversial AFSPA, 1958 gives armed forces personnel, operating
in disturbed areas, sweeping powers to search, arrest and open fire if they
deem it necessary for “the maintenance of public order”.
An area or district is notified as a disturbed area under the AFSPA
to facilitate the operations of the armed forces.
Because of the sweeping powers given to the armed forces, many
organisations have termed the Act “draconian” and have been demanding its
annulment.
The disturbed area notification has been in force in entire Assam
since 1990 and has been extended for a long period by the Central Government,
and now by the State Government.
The disturbed area tag, imposed under the AFSPA, was removed from
the entire State of Assam, except nine districts and one subdivision of one
district, from April 1, 2022. Now, it has been limited to only eight districts
in the Northeastern State.
It is applicable now in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar,
Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.
Hoisting the tricolour on the 77th Independence Day in Guwahati
last month, the CM said his government would take necessary steps to withdraw
AFSPA from the entire State by the end of this year.
“I want to assure the people of Assam that by the end of this year,
we will take fruitful steps to withdraw the AFSPA from every district of Assam.
That will be an ‘amritmoy’ time for Assam’s history, and we are eagerly waiting
for that day,” he said.
Since the beginning of its application in Assam more than three
decades ago, the extension of the AFSPA was recommended 62 times, said Sarma.
“The Northeast region is now free from terrorism. In the last three
years, four peace accords have been signed with rebels of Assam and around
8,000 rebels have returned to the mainstream,” he had said.
