The Armed Forces Special Powers Act(AFSPA) has been extended for another six months in Nagaland.
Though the Centre had appointed a panel to recommend if AFSPA should remain in force in Nagaland or not, and submit its report in 45 days, the authorities ostensibly felt that Nagaland was volatile enough presently and hence needed army’s protection.
A five-member committee has been formed under top bureaucrat Vivek Joshi to examine the possibility of withdrawal of AFSPA from Nagaland.
The army has also agreed to give access to Nagaland’s Special Investigation Team, or SIT, to record the statements of soldiers who were involved in the ambush on December 4.
AFSPA has been extended every six months for several years in Nagaland which has long remained a “disturbed area.”
The clamour to repeal the law gained traction in recent times when in a botched operation army killed six civilians.
The Nagaland state assembly passed a resolution recommending the abolition of AFSPA from the State.
