A partial move

Selective AFSPA relaxation changes little

The decision to reduce the footprint of the deeply unpopular Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, in select districts of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur is a step in the right direction, but provided the government is prepared to follow up with some meaningful political engagement to restore normalcy. The partial relaxations do not detract from the fact that this draconian law, which has done much to vitiate relations between the Centre and states and harm the reputation of the armed forces, remains in force in large parts of these states. In Assam, for instance, AFSPA still covers 40 per cent of the state’s area, and in Nagaland 75 per cent. In Manipur, AFSPA has been partially lifted in six districts and remains in force in the hill districts. Given the somewhat totalitarian nature of the law, which grants immunity to the Indian armed forces and state and paramilitary forces for their actions in disturbed areas, it is unclear yet what a partial relaxation entails and how it will work. Further, AFSPA remains in force in Arunachal Pradesh where an Assam Rifles jawan shot two young men returning from a fishing trip as suspected terrorists just two days after the relaxations were announced.

In short, it is unlikely that much will change on the ground. Instead, the move should be seen as a means of political signalling by the Centre that it is serious about bringing peace to this troubled and alienated region that has been under this Act for almost 60 years. It is being made against the background of a substantial reduction in insurgency in Manipur and Nagaland. In the former, a Supreme Court hearing on extra-judicial killings has lowered the political temperature somewhat. In the latter, peace talks with the major factions, which have been on since 2015, appear to be making some headway. No doubt, this move has also been spurred by the killing of 14 villagers in a Naga village by security forces in December last year on grounds of mistaken identity, which had raised fresh demands for the repeal of AFSPA. The decision came after a Union government committee, set up in response to this tragedy, recommended a review of the ambit of AFSPA in the Northeast.

Given the fact that lasting peace has eluded this region for decades, this move should be seen as an initial reconciliatory step. Yet questions arise over whether the Act has any utility at all. Its prolonged imposition in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), for instance, has scarcely enhanced the security situation there any more than internet shutdowns and wholesale arrests of people. There, as in the Northeast, the Indian military continues to be viewed as occupying forces that have ratcheted up the sense of alienation among the local people. Repealing this Act altogether in favour of constructive engagement would go a long way towards bringing some semblance of peace that has long eluded the Northeast and J&K. Restricting the blanket immunity to armed forces to shoot to kill, search houses and destroy property only to officers  would also go some way towards restricting the more deleterious effects of this law. The partial relaxations of AFSPA in these three states may be a way for the Centre to test the ground. But to win hearts and minds, it will need to do much more.