Skip to main content

Armed Forces Special Powers Act extended in Arunachal Pradesh, rights activists want to know reason

By Our Representative
In a move that has raised the eyebrows of human rights activists, Government of India has extended the labeling of the districts of Tirap, Changlag and Longding in Arunachal Pradesh as 'disturbed areas' under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) for a further period of six months with effect from October 1, 2014. The Ministry of Home Affairs notification dated September 20, 2014 claims that the law and order situation in these districts has been “reviewed” and “violent activities of insurgents” were to have “remained unchanged.” AFSPA has long been regarded as “draconian”, as it does not protect citizens from “atrocities” by security forces.
The Central notification said, “The factions of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) continue to indulge in inter-factional clashes. The factions of NSCN also interfere in the political matters by intimidating leaders for monetary help. Apart from underground Naga outfits, the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and certain Manipur based underground outfits continue to use these districts as conduit for movement from/to their camps in Myanmar and also for trafficking of arms and ammunitions.”
Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh were declared as disturbed areas under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 on September 17, 1991 vide this Ministry’s Notification No. 603(E) dated 17.9.1991, as, in the opinion of the Government of India, these districts were in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of Armed Forces in aid of civil power was necessary. Longding district (carved out of Tirap district) was also declared as ‘disturbed area’ vide this Ministry’s notification dated 30th July, 2012.
The declaration of Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh as ‘disturbed areas’ was last reviewed in March 2014, the notification recalls, adding, the validity of declaration of these three districts of Arunachal Pradesh as ‘disturbed areas’ was extended up to September 30, 2014.
Venkatesh Nayak of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) says, while the reason given for extending the armed forces Act is “continued violence committed by 'insurgent' groups”, it should be remembered that under AFSPA no part of India's territory can be declared 'disturbed area' for more than six months.”
Nayak says, “The ground situation has to be reviewed every six months to determine whether there is sufficient reason for extension of the labeling”. Therefore, he adds, “RTI activists -- in particular those living in or working on issues related to Arunachal Pradesh -- might like to make RTI applications with the Ministry of Home Affairs to find out the detailed reasons for extending the period of declaration.”
Calling it an “important policy announcement and is also an administrative decision”, Nayak believes, “All affected persons have the right to know detailed reasons and all relevant facts behind this decision under SEction 4(1)(c) and (d) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act).”
It may be recalled that on the 13th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks in America, India’s North-Eastern states remembered a 9/11 which changed their history forever -- AFSPA was imposed on undivided Assam on this very day in 1958. The Act gives sweeping powers to security forces in troubled areas, was first imposed to quell the Naga movement for cessation. In 1958, undivided Assam comprised Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya.
According to top human rights group, Amnesty India International, "The AFSPA has facilitated grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, rape and torture and other ill treatment." Citing the report prepared by the Committee on Amendments to Criminal Law (popularly referred to as the Justice Verma Committee) , Amnesty has said, "The report included a section on sexual violence in conflict zones, in which the committee said that the AFSPA legitimized impunity for sexual violence, and recommended immediate review of the continuance of the AFSPA in internal areas of conflict."

Comments

TRENDING

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat*  The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia.  The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative   The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Chinese pressure? Left stateless, Rohingya crisis result of Myanmar citizenship law

By Dr Shakuntala Bhabani*  A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refugees as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar? Only time will tell.

China ties up with India, Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingyas; Myanmar unwilling

By Harunur Rasid*  We now have a new hope, thanks to news reports that were published in the Bangladeshi dailies recently. Myanmar has suddenly taken initiatives to repatriate Rohingyas. As part of this initiative, diplomats from eight countries posted in Yangon were flown to Rakhine last week. Among them were diplomats from Bangladesh, India and China.

40,000 Odisha adolescent girls ask CM: Why is scheme to fight malnutrition on paper?

By Our Representative  In unique a postcard campaign to combat malnutrition, aimed at providing dietary diversity, considered crucial during adolescence, especially among girls, signed by about 40,000 adolescent girls from over 10,000 villages, have reminded Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik that his government's Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), which converged with Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman  ( POSHAN ) 2.0 in 2021, is not being implemented in the State.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra*  Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.

Over-stressed? As Naveen Patnaik turns frail, Odisha 'moves closer' to leadership crisis

By Sudhansu R Das  Not a single leader in Odisha is visible in the horizon who can replace Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He has ruled Odisha for nearly two and half decades. His father, Biju Patnaik, had built Odisha; he was a daring pilot who saved the life of Indonesia’s Prime Minister Sjahrir and President Sukarno when the Dutch army blocked their exit.