{"id":126840,"date":"2026-09-30T11:52:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T06:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=126840"},"modified":"2026-09-30T11:52:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T06:22:24","slug":"afspa-special-powers-provisions-and-areas-of-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/afspa-special-powers-provisions-and-areas-of-application\/","title":{"rendered":"AFSPA: Special Powers, Provisions and Areas of Application"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>AFSPA Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/armed-forces-special-power-act\/\" target=\"_blank\">Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA)<\/a><\/strong> in parts of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for another six months from October 1, 2026.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>In Manipur<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><b>entire state<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has been declared a &#8220;<\/span><b>disturbed area<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; under AFSPA, barring the jurisdictions of 13 police stations in five Valley districts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>In Nagaland<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, AFSPA continues in nine districts, plus areas under 21 police stations in five other districts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>In Arunachal Pradesh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Act continues in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, and in areas under Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district, bordering Assam.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This latest extension comes against the backdrop of the ethnic conflict that erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What Powers Does AFSPA Confer?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AFSPA was enacted in <\/span><b>1958<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to give the armed forces special powers to operate in areas declared &#8220;<\/span><b>disturbed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; due to insurgency or serious internal security problems.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law first came into effect in 1958 to deal with the uprising in the Naga Hills, followed by the insurgency in Assam.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once an area is notified as <\/span><b>disturbed under Section 3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, security personnel receive powers that ordinary police do not have:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Authority to use force, including lethal force, against persons acting in contravention of prohibitory orders.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Power to arrest without a warrant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Power to enter and search premises without a warrant.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Legal Protection<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Act also <\/span><b>shields personnel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: prosecution or any legal proceedings for actions done (or purported to be done) under AFSPA require the<\/span><b> prior sanction<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Central government.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is precisely these extraordinary powers and this protection against prosecution that make AFSPA contentious.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Who Can Declare an Area &#8220;Disturbed&#8221;?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both the <\/span><b>Central and State governments<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have the power to declare an area disturbed under Section 3. This is why the geographical application of the law has historically not been determined solely by the MHA.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For decades, the Manipur government itself issued disturbed-area notifications, even though AFSPA had operated in the state since 1981.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This changed after the May 3, 2023 ethnic violence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Current Status Across States<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MHA currently issues periodic disturbed-area notifications only for Manipur, Nagaland, and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Assam, the notification is issued by the State government.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AFSPA was removed entirely from Tripura by then state government in 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meghalaya was under AFSPA for 27 years, until it was revoked by the Ministry from April 1, 2018.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jammu and Kashmir has a separate law \u2014 the J&amp;K Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1990.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How AFSPA Shrank in Manipur \u2014 and Then Returned<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AFSPA&#8217;s footprint in Manipur had been contracting before the current conflict:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2004: Withdrawn from the Imphal municipal area.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">April 2022 \u2013 April 2023: A <\/span><b>much larger rollback<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 AFSPA withdrawn from all police station areas in the Manipur Valley, citing an improved security situation and greater public sense of security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AFSPA, however, continued in the hill regions throughout, where disturbed-area notifications had been renewed periodically for decades.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The trend was toward gradual reduction \u2014 until the May 2023 violence reversed it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Reimposition<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In November 2024, the MHA reimposed AFSPA in Manipur across the jurisdictions of six police stations spread over five districts \u2014 areas from which it had earlier been withdrawn.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notably, this notification came from the MHA, not the Manipur government, marking a shift from the earlier pattern.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The then Manipur govt did not agree with this decision to reimpose AFSPA and it sought a reversal almost immediately.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why AFSPA Continues in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Nagaland:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Continuation has historically been linked to the presence and movement of armed insurgent groups and the unresolved Naga political issue.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centre has held negotiations with the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/naga-movement\/\" target=\"_blank\">National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah)<\/a><\/strong>, or NSCN-IM, and Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2022, security officials indicated that uncertainty over the conclusion of the Naga peace process was a key reason AFSPA persisted in parts of Nagaland and neighbouring states.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Arunachal Pradesh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Its application has remained concentrated in districts affected by insurgent movement and areas adjoining Assam.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AFSPA&#8217;s story in India&#8217;s Northeast is one of contraction and reversal, not a fixed policy. Manipur&#8217;s own trajectory \u2014 years of gradual rollback undone within months of the 2023 violence \u2014 shows how tightly the law&#8217;s reach tracks ground realities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even shared political governance, as seen in the Centre-Manipur disagreement, hasn&#8217;t guaranteed consensus on where the line between security and civil liberty should be drawn.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/manipur\/afspa-extended-in-manipur-nagaland-and-arunachal-pradesh-what-does-the-law-mean-explained\/article71512257.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/frontline.thehindu.com\/the-nation\/human-rights\/afspa-criminal-misuse-of-law-for-decades\/article36542410.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AFSPA grants special powers to security forces in disturbed areas, including arrest and search powers, while its continuing application remains subject to debate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":126883,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[10577,60,22,59],"class_list":["post-126840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-afspa","tag-mains-articles","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126840"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126898,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126840\/revisions\/126898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}