Dreaded AFSPA in 12 Aruchal districts

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Itagar, April 8: The controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is reported to have been extended to 12 districts of Aruchal Pradesh for one year by the Centre citing a serious law and order situation along the border with Assam.

Earlier Tirap, Changlang and Longding, where ga insurgents are active and the 20km belt along the state’s borders with Assam was under the Act.

This time, the only districts that seems to have escaped the draconian law is Tawang, Upper Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, Kra Dadi, Dibang valley, Upper Siang and Anjaw. The State government is yet to receive the notification from the centre, according to highly placed sources. The Home Ministry order of March 27 cited the presence of numerous insurgent groups along the Assam-Aruchal border, an insurgent group NDFB(S) setting up its headquarters in Myanmar’s Tago area and planning to smuggle arms through Aruchal and left-wing extremists trying to quietly infiltrate the state.

Dubbed as draconian, the law gives security forces extraordiry powers under AFSPA empowering them to shoot-to-kill suspects, arrest without a warrant and destroy any property likely to be used as shelters by insurgents. Apart from the army, central police forces and state police personnel gets the special powers.

Under the law, North-eastern states of galand, Assam, Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed extreme violence at the hands of Indian Army.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry under the BJP government had rejected the Jeevan Reddy Commission Report which had recommended repeal of AFSPA in the North-East.