AFSPA will be completely withdrawn in Assam by midnight today, except 9 districts

Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 31 (ANI): Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will be completely withdrawn from complete lower, central and north Assam by midnight today except in nine districts and one subdivision.
The Chief Minister said that AFSPA will be withdrawn from 60 per cent of our territory.
AFSPA is being removed with effect from April 1 completely from 23 districts and partially from one district of Assam.
"Assam will withdraw AFSPA completely from midnight today, except in nine districts and one subdivision. It will be withdrawn from 60 per cent of our territory. AFSPA will be withdrawn from complete lower, central and north Assam from midnight today," said Sarma in a press conference in Guwahati.
He said that Assam was declared a disturbed area on the intervening night of November 27 and 28 in 1990.
"Since then AFSPA was in force continuously. AFSPA used to be extended every six months. So far 62 times the government of Assam has extended AFSPA since 1990. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a bold decision to withdraw AFSPA from the area wherever it is not required," the Chief Minister said.
He further said that after 2014, AFSPA was first withdrawn from Mizoram and Meghalaya.
"Last year it was withdrawn from Arunachal Pradesh except for two polling stations. After these series of decisions, today, the time has come for Assam, Nagaland and Manipur to withdraw AFSPA," he added.
The Chief Ministers said that the AFSPA will be present in the hilly regions of Assam where the situation is yet to be improved.
"Assam has a total of 78,438 square km of geographical area, all this area was under disturbed area and now this area has been confined to 31,724.94 square km only," said Sarma.
AFSPA will be withdrawn from Assam from tonight except for Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat districts and Lakhipur Subdivision of Cachar district.
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Central government has decided to reduce disturbed areas under the AFSPA in the states of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur after decades.
Meanwhile, officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that the Centre's decision will considerably reduce areas under AFSPA with effect from April 1. However, the officials also made it clear that AFSPA has not been completely removed.
Disturbed area notification is in force in the whole of Assam since 1990. With the step, the officials said, 23 districts of Assam are now being removed completely and one district partially from the effect of AFSPA with effect from April 1.
The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior warrant. In 2005, the Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee had recommended the repeal of AFSPA and suggested an amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967 by inserting a new Chapter with respect to the North-Eastern states. (ANI)