Assam Govt Considering Repealing AFSPA from 5 Districts: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
GUWAHATI: Assam's condition has improved significantly in the previous two years as a result of signing peace treaties with various armed groups, according to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. As a result, the Assam government was trying to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in five further districts before the end of the year.
The removal of the AFSPA from 60% of the state and the signing of peace treaties with many armed groups in the state have resulted in a peaceful situation, the Chief Minister stated at a press conference marking the end of his two-year tenure.
''Prime Minister Narendra Modi's various initiatives have led to peace agreements with several armed groups, removal of AFSPA from 60 percent of the state, besides resolving boundary issues with Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya'', CM Sarma said.
On the other hand, the Centre eliminated AFSPA from the whole state of Assam except for nine districts and a sub-division of Cachar district on April 1, 2022, and it was later removed from the Lakhipur sub-division and West Karbi Anglong district.
In March 2022, the Assam government proclaimed the entire state to be a "Disturbed Area" for a period of six months. According to a notification, the disturbed area tag has been extended for Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao.
Under AFSPA, the state was declared a 'disturbed region' during the intervening night of November 27-28, 1990, and this has been extended every six months since then.
A 50-year-old boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya was resolved in March 2022, when Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma sign an agreement in New Delhi in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Meanwhile, in April 2023, the Assam and Arunachal Pradesh governments inked another historic deal, this time resolving a dispute over 123 villages.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data, there was a 74% decrease in insurgency occurrences in 2021 compared to 2014. Furthermore, mortality among security personnel and civilians decreased by 60% and 84%, respectively, during the same time period.
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