Our Correspondent
The Government of India has declared entire Assam, besides bordering areas of Meghalaya, as a disturbed area, under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), for three more months.
In a gazette notification, the Home Ministry cited violence perpetrated by insurgent groups like ULFA, NDFB and others as the reason for enforcing AFSPA for three more months, with effect from the 3rd of this month.
It said, there were 75 incidents of violence in Assam last year in which 33 people, including four security personnel, were killed and 14 were abducted. It said, this year, there were nine violent incidents in which four people, including two security personnel, were killed.
AFSPA has been continuing in Assam since November 1990.
In another gazette notification, the Ministry declared three districts of Arunachal Pradesh – Tirap, Changlang and Longding – besides areas falling under 16 police stations bordering Assam as disturbed area under AFSPA for three more months. The notification said, violence by NSCN(IM), NSCN(K), ULFA, NDFB and others was the reason.
AFSPA has been under force in the three Arunachal Pradesh districts since January last year.