SHILLONG, Dec 19: The Congress on Sunday said the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 has had too dark a history to be in force while urging the chief ministers of the Northeast to be united against it.
The Act grants special powers to the Centre to deploy the armed forces in “disturbed areas” of the country to support state governments.
“Among many provisions, the AFSPA allows the Union government to use the Army or the central armed forces in anti-insurgency operations against militants. The AFSPA does not have sufficient safeguards to ensure that personnel who conduct operations do so in a manner conforming to the standards of use of force in conflict areas,” Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee working president, Ampareen Lyngdoh said.
She pointed out that if a situation arises where a soldier commits a crime on duty, this law prevents him from being prosecuted in a criminal court unless the central or the state government concerned authorises to.
Lyngdoh said the AFSPA can only be imposed by the Centre in consultation with the state governments. Thus, each state in its memo to the Centre must convey that the AFSPA is not required and that the respective state police force can adequately deal with the law and order.
She said Congress stands in solidarity with the citizens of Nagaland against the December 4 incident that took at least 14 lives. “We also stand in solidarity with any citizen of any state who has been a victim of this draconian law that has spilt the blood of far too many,” she added.
“We fight for justice for the families who have been tormented by this brutal law. We must ensure that the governments cannot be allowed to get away with gross human rights violations by citing national security as a justification,” Lyngdoh said.
She urged the Meghalaya government to stand with “our brothers and sisters in Nagaland” and called for unity among the north-eastern states against the gross atrocities inflicted upon the people.
“As a representative of the Northeast, I call upon every CM of the region to convey the stand for the repeal and the AFSPA,” she said.
