Entire Nagaland declared 'disturbed' for six more months under AFSPA

The entire state of Nagaland has been declared a "disturbed area" for six more months, till December-end, under the controversial AFSPA which empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without prior notice.

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been in force in Nagaland for several decades.

In a notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the central government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole state of Nagaland is in such a "disturbed and dangerous condition" that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary.

"Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (No. 28 of 1958) the central government hereby declares that whole of the said State to be a 'disturbed area' for a period of six months with effect from June 30, 2019 for the purpose of that Act," the notification issued Sunday said.

The decision to continue the declaration of Nagaland as "disturbed area" has been taken as killings, loot and extortion have been going on in various parts of the state which necessitated the action for the convenience of the security forces operating there, an MHA official said.

There have been demands from various organisations in the Northeast as well as in Jammu and Kashmir for repealing the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which, they say, gives "sweeping powers" to security forces.

The AFSPA has been in force in Nagaland for several decades. It has not been withdrawn even after a framework agreement was signed on August 3, 2015 by Naga insurgent group NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and government interlocutor R N Ravi in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years with the first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland.