Guwahati, March 27: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has revoked the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the Upper Assam district of Dibrugarh, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced here on Thursday.
With the withdrawal of the Act from Dibrugarh, only three districts in Assam remain under the purview of AFSPA, marking significant progress in restoring normalcy in the state.
“I would like to inform you that the Ministry of Home Affairs has withdrawn AFSPA from Dibrugarh district. As you know, the Assam government has already initiated the process of upgrading Dibrugarh as the second capital of the state Following a request (to revoke the Act from Dibrugarh), the Union home minister promptly decided to withdraw the Act from Dibrugarh district,” the chief minister said during a post-Cabinet meet media briefing.
“With this move, only three districts in the state — Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo — remain under the purview of AFSPA, while 32 districts are out of the Act’s ambit,” Sarma said.
Expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister and Union home minister, the chief minister said the significant decision would go a long way in establishing Dibrugarh as Assam’s second capital.
It may be recalled that in October last year, four districts – Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar – were declared as “Disturbed Areas” for a further period of six months amid concerns over the unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh and its potential impact on the state’s internal security.
AFSPA, which was first imposed in Assam in November 1990, and extended every six months, grants security forces extensive powers to maintain law and order in “disturbed” areas, including the ability to conduct operations and make arrests without prior warrants, along with providing them immunity in the event of operational mishaps.
However, over the past few years, the Assam government has been working closely with security agencies to monitor the law-and-order situation, ensuring that the gradual transition to a civilian-led governance model is smooth and sustainable.