IMPHAL: A strong alliance of six prominent student bodies in Manipur has urged the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) at the earliest.
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the organizations called the legislation a "black law" that creates fear, tramples on human rights, and erodes democratic values in the state.
Their call is in direct reaction to the recent move by the central government to prolong AFSPA in the state for a further six months from April 1, 2025. The student organizations—All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU), Manipuri Students' Federation (MSF), AIMS, Democratic Students' Association of Manipur (DESAM), Students' Union of Kangleipak (SUK), and Kangleipak Students' Association (KSA)—came together to denounce the extension and its fallout.
The alliance referred to AFSPA as a repressive and undemocratic act which has been used to legitimize widespread human rights abuses in Manipur's trouble spots. They quoted several instances of alleged "fake encounters," enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings carried out in the name of counter-insurgency operations, and added that the Act has provided security forces with unfettered authority and impunity.
"AFSPA has generated a culture of impunity and fear, empowering the security forces to operate with no accountability," the joint statement stated. The student organizations provided that such a law has no role to play in a democratic state and called for it to be repealed at once in the cause of justice and peace.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its March 30, 2025, notification, extended the application of the law across Manipur, announcing it a "disturbed area" under Section 3 of the Act. Partial exclusions were, however, brought in the form of exemptions—certain areas falling under the purview of 12 police stations in Imphal and its adjoining districts, such as Lamphel, Singjamei, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching, have been exempted from AFSPA's ambit.
First passed in 1958 to tackle insurgency in Naga-majority areas of the erstwhile Union Territory of Manipur, AFSPA has been one of India's most contentious pieces of legislation. Criticized by civil society, human rights activists, and student movements over the years, it is contended that it legitimates state violence instead of addressing conflict.
The student alliance is now the newest addition to this opposition chorus and has appealed to the government to listen to the feelings of people in Manipur and immediately set the process afoot to reverse AFSPA. They clarified that the act only served to fuel the trust gap between the people and the state and that only its removal could bring actual peace and justice in the state.
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