Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that the Union Home Ministry has lifted the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the Dibrugarh district.
AFSPA grants the armed forces extensive authority in regions classified as “disturbed,” allowing them to conduct searches, make arrests, and use force when necessary to maintain public order.
Despite its removal from Dibrugarh, the Act will remain in effect in Tinsukia, Sibsagar, and Charaideo districts.
Speaking at a press briefing in Guwahati, CM Sarma highlighted the gradual reduction of AFSPA’s coverage in Assam.
“At one time, the entire state was under AFSPA. The Centre has steadily reduced the areas where the act applies. Today, the Union Home Ministry decided to remove the ‘disturbed area’ designation from Dibrugarh, leaving only three districts under AFSPA. We aim to reduce this further in the coming days,” the Chief Minister said.
The state government recently announced plans to upgrade Dibrugarh town, a major hub of Assam’s tea industry, to serve as the state’s second capital alongside Dispur.
Chief Minister Sarma added that the removal of AFSPA is expected to contribute positively to the district’s growth.
AFSPA was originally imposed across Assam in 1990, during a peak in insurgent activities led by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
Since then, it has been renewed every six months, with periodic reviews leading to the gradual exclusion of certain areas based on the prevailing security situation.
Earlier, CM Sarma said that peace and stability have become the permanent feature of the state in the last few years as major militant groups have joined the mainstream leaving the path of violence.
The CM had mentioned that since 2021, the Assam government along with the Centre have signed four peace accords with insurgent groups that include Karbi insurgent groups, Adivasi outfits, Dimasa militant outfit and ULFA.
He has also said that the peace agreement signed in 2020 with the Bodo militant outfit, National Democratic Front of Bodoland, led to the surrender of at least 9,583 cadres.
“Moreover, areas under AFSPA were reduced in Assam and only four districts in the state are currently under the Act,” CM Sarma added.
He said, “In the last three years, due to the sustained efforts of our government and with active support from the Union government, peace and stability have become permanent features in the state.”
“Almost all major militant groups have surrendered and joined the mainstream to create a Viksit Assam,” the Chief Minister added.
(IANS)
