IMPHAL: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has officially issued a notification about the restoration of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) over the entire state of Manipur except for 13 police station areas. The proclamation of Manipur as a "disturbed area" under AFSPA will remain in force for six months from April 1, 2025, until it is revoked earlier.
In addition to Manipur, the MHA has also extended AFSPA for six months in the Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as in eight districts of Nagaland and 21 police station areas across five other districts.
It may be noted that Manipur has been placed under President's rule since February 2025 after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned in the midst of constant political unrest. Singh, who had been running the BJP government since 2017, resigned after almost 21 months of ethnic violence that has claimed the lives of more than 250 individuals since May 2023. The state has been governed under AFSPA rules since the early 1980s, which grant special powers to security forces to maintain public order in designated areas.
In a connected development, security personnel launched a search operation on Saturday, seizing a huge quantity of arms and ammunition in the Thangjing Hill forest region, which falls under the Churachandpur Police Station.
The seized items consisted of rifles, a pistol, a mortar, a homemade hand grenade, and other ammunition, reflecting continued security issues in the area.
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