On Friday, the Central government extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for six months in three districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
AFSPA will apply from October 1 to March 30, 2023 in Tirap, Changlang, and Longding, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The development comes after the security situation of these three districts has been reviewed, and the areas have been further designated as ‘disturbed areas’. To maintain public order, the armed forces are authorized to use whatever means they deem necessary.
As a result of its new notification issued on Friday, the Ministry said, “Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the Namsai and Mahadevpur police stations in Namsai, bordering Assam, have been declared a ‘disturbed area’ under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 for a period of six months, effective October 1, 2022, unless withdrawn earlier.”
Nagaland, Assam, and Manipur were excluded from the AFSPA earlier this year in March.