Four districts of Assam have had the Armed personnel (Special Powers) Act, which grants security personnel the authority to designate a region “disturbed,” extended for a period of six months. The announcement, which was released on Tuesday, states that the decision was made in light of the recent instability in Bangladesh and the potential effects on the region’s law and order situation. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act will continue to designate Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, and Sivasagar districts as “disturbed areas,” according to a notification from the Center.
Furthermore, as a result of continuous efforts and proactive counter-insurgency measures taken by the security forces, the overall situation in Assam has significantly improved over the last three years compared to previous years, according to reports from various agencies that made it to the police headquarters. The announcement said that the government of Assam also suggested keeping the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in effect for a further six months due to the recent unrest in Bangladesh, a neighboring nation, and their potential effects on the domestic law and order situation.
According to reports, the plan was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which decided—after careful deliberation—to keep the state’s unsettled areas in the “status quo” for an additional six months, starting on October 1. The announcement further stated that, since last October, only these four districts in Assam have been subject to AFSPA; however, it has been gradually removed from other areas of the state. While certain places were taken out of the AFSPA’s jurisdiction much earlier, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao were excluded from the program last year.
