Assam, Army wanted full removal of AFSPA; ‘cautious’ Centre kept it: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Days after AFSPA was extended in four districts of Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the state government and the Army wanted a complete withdrawal of the controversial law but the Centre took a 'cautious' approach by continuing it in some areas.

With effect from October 1, the application of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) was extended for six more months in four districts of Assam, while withdrawing it from four other districts.

'The state government had recommended complete withdrawal of AFSPA from Assam. The Indian Army was also insisting on a complete withdrawal,' Sarma told reporters here.

According to the Army, Assam is completely peaceful and the 'Disturbed Area' tag can be removed from all parts of the state, he added in presence of Eastern Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita.

"Sometimes we may not have a complete report like the situation on the foreign soil, which the Centre has. I think the government of India wanted to be a little cautious and took a holistic view in withdrawal of the AFSPA," Sarma said.

He asserted that the law has been extended for six months and the Centre will then assess the situation for a gradual withdrawal from all districts of the state.

Kalita said that Assam and Northeast have been very peaceful in recent years and the credit goes to the Army, Central Armed Police Forces, state police and the common people.

"Without the support of the common people, we would not have achieved this peaceful environment in the Northeast. We should continue this peace process in the region," he added.

Earlier, unveiling the statue of Ahom General Lachit Borphukan at Narengi Military Station here, the Chief Minister lauded the efforts of the Army in the last four decades in bringing peace to Assam.

"I acknowledge that the Indian Army did a lot of hard work since 1980 to bring peace to Assam. Let this peace and development be permanent in our soil, state and country," he added.

The AFSPA was extended in Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo for another six months, while it was withdrawn from Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao from October.

The Assam government had last extended the 'disturbed area' notification under the AFSPA for another six months with effect from April 1 this year in these eight districts.

The AFSPA was first imposed in Assam in November 1990 and has been extended every six months since then after a review by the state government.

The act empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior warrant. It also gives a certain level of immunity to the security forces in case of an operation going wrong.

Civil society groups and rights activists have been demanding withdrawal of the 'draconian law' from the entire North East claiming violation of human rights by the armed forces.