GUWAHATI: Assam Police on Sunday announced that the Disturb Areas status under the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 was withdrawn from four districts of Assam while extending it in four districts for six months with effect from October 1.
The districts from where the AFSPA was lifted are Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.
The AFSPSA was extended for six months in four districts – Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo.
“According to the new notification, only four districts will have AFSPA. These are Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo,” Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh addressing the Assam Police Day celebrations at 4th APBN, Kahilipara here on Sunday.
Singh said the ‘disturbed area’ tag has, however, been withdrawn from four other districts, which are Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.
The four Upper Assam districts have been strongholds of Paressh Baruah-led ULFA-I.
The Central government had last extended the ‘disturbed area’ notification under the AFSPA for another six months with effect from April 1 in eight districts of the state.
The “disturbed areas” notification is applicable for six months, following which it can be extended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The ‘disturbed areas’ notification has been applied to the whole of Assam since 1990. The ‘Disturbed Area’ notification has been in force since 1990 in the whole of Assam. On April 1, 2022, the AFSPA was removed from the entire State of Assam except for nine districts, including one subdivision of another district. From April 1, the districts under the AFSPA in Assam will be further reduced to eight as the AFSPA has been withdrawn from the Lakhipur subdivision of the Cachar district.
The ‘Disturbed Area’ notification has been in force since 1990 in the whole of Assam. On April 1, 2022, the AFSPA was removed from the entire state of Assam except for nine districts, and one sub-division of another district.
From March 24, the districts under the AFSPA in Assam were further reduced to eight as the AFSPA has been withdrawn from the Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar district.
The Assam government had last month recommended to the Centre that the disturbed areas notification be removed from all eight of the remaining districts with effect from October 1, given “the significant improvement in the security situation of the State and subsequent accelerated development”.
The withdrawal of AFSPA has been a dream of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
On May 23, Sarma had told reporters: The AFSPA could be removed from the entire state by the end of this year and the state government has been working towards it.”
“At present, AFSPA is applicable in eight districts of Assam, which are, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao,” he had said.
“We are working towards that. Our idea is that by the year-end we want to see that Assam is completely free from AFSPA,” Sarma had said.
“Whether the police force strengthens itself will determine whether I am completely successful or only 90 per cent successful. In the commandant conference, I discussed that” Sarma had added.
