Speaking in Guwahati, Assam on Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah said that AFSPA has been removed from around 60 per cent areas of the state and added that in the coming years, the state will be completely militancy free and later, AFSPA. Free.
“AFSPA has been removed from around 60 per cent of the area. I am sure that in the coming few days and years, Assam will be completely militancy free and hence, AFSPA free,” Home Minister Amit Shah said in Guwahati.
Shah said there was a time when Assam was given the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), adding that now the youth are getting “new powers of jobs and aspirations”.
The Assam Police stood against the problem of militancy to maintain constitutional order. They faced guns with guns and then brought distracted youth into the mainstream: Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Guwahati pic.twitter.com/1RyRYmcFrn— ANI (@ANI) 10 May 2022
“Assam will soon be terrorism free. There has been no infiltration in Assam in the last six months. The youth of Assam now want development instead of AFSPA. I hope that in the coming days AFSPA will be removed from the whole of Assam. Amit Shah said that Assam Police has achieved many achievements in the last one year.
Shah said that after its implementation in the 1990s, the AFSPA was extended seven times till the Modi government came to power. He said that after eight years of PM Modi’s rule, 23 districts of the state have been made AFSPA free.
AFSPA was implemented in Assam in the 1990s, it was extended 7 times. After 8 years of PM Modi’s rule, 23 districts of the state have been made AFSPA free while it has been removed from more than 60% area of Assam: Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Guwahati pic.twitter.com/H0loxtYLSQ— ANI (@ANI) 10 May 2022
Amit Shah also said that one after the other peace agreements are being made with extremist groups, distracted youth are joining the mainstream and talks are also being held with neighboring states to resolve the seven decade old issues.
Amit Shah’s claim on complete removal of AFSPA from Assam is the latest in a series of government assurances that the Northeast will be free of the Act in future.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also in Assam, where he said that he hopes for peace in the conflict-ridden areas in the Northeast. AFSPA will be removed If things go back to normal.
“As peace is coming, we are changing the rules. Now AFSPA has also been removed from some places because there is peace. In other places also, we are trying that if things go well then AFSPA will be removed from there as well.”
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had also said last month that the three branches of the defense forces were in favor of the removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) 1958 from the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir, but because of the contentious act.
“AFSPA was earlier removed from Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Recently, Home Minister Amit Shah has withdrawn it from 23 districts of Assam and from areas falling under 15 police stations in Manipur and Nagaland. AFSPA is being removed from the Northeast for lasting peace and stability in the region.