A Progressive Step: On Formation of Panel for AFSPA by Nagaland

Announcement of a High Powered Panel by the Government of Nagaland will be set up to see the return of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act The state has been a major concern in the Northeast after the Mon massacre, where 15 civilians were killed in an ambush by an armed forces unit earlier this month. As is typical of how the central government has dealt with issues relating to Nagaland in the recent past, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) – whose Additional Secretary (North-East) is to head the committee – has remained silent with only information received from the Nagaland government about the proposed panel. Nevertheless, the gesture of setting up a panel, even if it was only accepted by the Nagaland government, should help assuage some concerns of the citizens of the state, who immediately linked the genocide with the punishment provided by the unpopular Act. Was. The Indian Army has also reiterated that it deeply regrets the loss of lives and the investigation into the incident is on, even as the Nagaland government has mentioned in its statement that the Court of Inquiry will take disciplinary action against the Army unit and the personnel involved. Will start incident. Act is applicable Assam, nagaland, Manipur, three districts of Arunachal Pradesh, and areas under the jurisdiction of eight police stations in the state bordering Assam, which have the right to use force or open fire to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”. The Chief Minister of Meghalaya has already demanded its cancellation in the Northeast, while Manipur is also ready to discuss the demand for its repeal.

The people of the Northeast associate a series of civilian killings in the region over the years with the Act coming into force. The Justice Jeevan Reddy committee, set up by the previous UPA-led government at the Center in 2005, had recommended repeal of the Act, terming it “highly undesirable” and creating a perception that citizens in the Northeast were being targeted for hostile behaviour. Was. But the Act remained in place due to strong opposition to its repeal by the military. The panel can take recourse to study the precedents – Tripura repealed the Act in May 2015 in view of land reforms in the state, while Meghalaya did the same on April 1, 2018. Both the states did so for decades after the Act came into force. A clear understanding on the definition and extent of “disturbed areas” in Nagaland after discussions between the state, MHA and armed forces representatives will go a long way in working towards rethinking the relevance of the Act across the region.