Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering at Karbi Anglong in Assam on thursday where he claimed that the Centre is making efforts to remove the entire northeast from the ambit of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which provides sweeping powers and immunity from criminal prosecution.

Modelled on a colonial-era ordinance, AFSPA was promulgated in Parliament in September 1958 to allow armed forces to control and maintain public order in areas designated as “disturbed”.

The killings of 14 civilians in a botched army operation in Nagaland’s Mon district in December 2021 put the spotlight back on AFSPA and renewed demands for its repeal.

PM Modi stated that in Assam the AFSPA has been in force for over three decades now and due to a lack of improvement in the situation, earlier governments used to extend its enforcement repeatedly but in recent years, due to improved ground situation, AFSPA has been removed from 23 districts of Assam. He added that they are trying to bring the situation to normal in other parts of the state so that AFSPA can be removed from those parts too. Prime Minister said that earlier sounds of bombs and gunfire used to resonate in the areas, but now claps are heard. He also brought to light that similar efforts are also underway in Nagaland and Manipur to remove the Act.

PM Modi pointed out that there has been a 75% drop in violent incidents in the northeast over the past eight years and that is why Meghalaya and Tripura were removed from the ambit of AFSPA.
The PM also did not miss to praise the north-eastern states for resolving boundary disputes. He referred to the Assam-Meghalaya border pact and said this could help address disputes in other states of the region as well.

On his visit PM Modi laid the foundation stone of three colleges in Loringthepi. He also launched the Amrit Sarovar Project for 75 water bodies across a hectare area in every district of Assam. The Prime Minister is scheduled to address another public meeting in Assam’s Dibrugarh later on Thursday and inaugurate seven cancer care centres besides laying foundation for seven others.