Kolkata: Defending the imposition of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the North East, the Army on Monday said there was no recent cases of misuse of the law in the region. “In Eastern Command, during the time I have spent here, there has not been a single incident which has been reported where AFSPA has not been used for the right reason,” Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi said.
He said if there was any breach of AFSPA it was dealt with firmly by the Army. “If the Army is required to handle insurgency, we require AFSPA. If we don’t have AFSPA, our hands are tied and we cannot do our job. It is an enabling provision and not a draconian provision,” he said. Various human rights organisations have long been demanding repeal of the AFSPA which they call a “draconian” law.
In Manipur, rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila has been on a fast-unto-death for 15 years demanding withdrawal of AFSPA. (PTI)
