New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday declared the entire state of Nagaland a “disturbed area” for six more months till December-end, under the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act which empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior warrant.
Issuing a notification, the Union Home Ministry said that the government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of the state of Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary.
“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (No. 28 of 1958), the central government, hereby, declares that whole of the state of Nagaland to be ‘disturbed area’ for a period of six months with effect from 30th June, 2021 for the purpose of the said Act,” the notification, issued by Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Piyush Goyal, said.
As per updates, the decision has been taken as killings, loots and extortion cases have been going on in various parts of the state which necessitated the action for the convenience of the security forces operating there. The AFSPA has been in force in Nagaland for decades.
The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years with the first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland.
What is AFSPA?
The controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act came into effect in 1958 and was meant to counter the increasing violence in the Northeast. Notably, the AFSPA gives armed forces the power to prohibit a gathering of five or more people in a “disturbed area”. Moreover, the AFSPA also allows security personnel to use force and even open fire after due warning in the case of a breach of law and order.