centre-reintroduces-afspa-in-manipur-s-six-districts

The Centre has reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas in Manipur, including the violence-hit region of Jiribam, in response to ongoing ethnic violence in the state.

AFSPA grants the armed forces sweeping powers to search, arrest, and even open fire if deemed necessary for "the maintenance of public order" in areas declared "disturbed".

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification confirming the decision, attributing it to the volatile situation caused by persistent ethnic conflict.

The six police station areas where AFSPA has been reimposed are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East district, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi district, and Moirang in Bishnupur district.

This move follows the Manipur government’s previous imposition of AFSPA across the state on October 1, which excluded 19 police station areas, including the six newly notified districts.

The reimposition of AFSPA comes amid continuing unrest in the region. On Monday, eleven suspected militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jiribam district after insurgents fired on a police station and a nearby CRPF camp.

 

The following day, six civilians, including women and children, were abducted by militants in the same area.

Since May of last year, ethnic violence between the Meitei community, based in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo groups from the surrounding hills has left more than 200 people dead and thousands displaced.

 

Jiribam, which had largely been untouched by the violence, saw unrest in June after the body of a mutilated farmer was found in a field.

The disturbed area declaration has been in effect in Manipur since 2004, with the exception of the Imphal municipality area.

 

However, in early 2022, the state government decided to revoke the disturbed area status in several areas, including seven police station areas in Imphal West, four in Imphal East, and one each in Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching, and Jiribam.

 

There has been ongoing protest in the region against AFSPA, with many calling for its complete withdrawal from the northeast and Jammu and Kashmir due to its controversial provisions.

 

Manipur activist Irom Chanu Sharmila famously campaigned against the law, conducting a 16-year hunger strike that ended on August 9, 2016.