Assam Govt aims to withdraw AFSPA completely by end of 2023: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

AFSPA seems all set to be completely lifted from Assam by the end of this year.

In a big statement during his Independence Day speech in Guwahati today, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government will take all possible steps to completely withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the state by the end of this year.

CM Sarma said that currently, AFSPA is in place in eight districts of the state.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that before his government came to power, previous governments had requested the Centre to extend AFSPA 62 times.

The AFSPA gives special powers to the security forces like it allows arrest of a person by the security forces without a warrant, enter or search premises without a warrant, and perform other actions for “maintenance of public order”.

The disturbed area notification has been in place in Assam since 1990.

According to officials, the disturbed area tag, imposed under the AFSPA, was withdrawn from most parts of Assam barring nine districts and one sub-division of one district, as of April 1, 2022, as a result of the significant improvement in the security situation in the state.

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