Shillong, Dec 27: Once again the NPP President and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has demanded for repeal the AFSPA from the entire north eastern region.
“Welcome the move of GOI, Amit Shah ji for approval to set up a panel to review imposition of the AFSPA in Nagaland. The panel should examine the whole of North East,” Sangma tweeted on Sunday night.
Welcome the move of GOI, @AmitShah ji for approval to set up a panel to review imposition of the AFSPA in Nagaland. The panel should examine the whole of North East.
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) December 26, 2021
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Sunday said that a committee has been formed to look into the demand for withdrawal of the AFSPA from Nagaland and the panel would submit its report to the government within 45 days.
The committee was formed after Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 23, 2021 in New Delhi chaired a meeting which was attended by Nagaland Chief Minister, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton and Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislature Party leader T.R. Zeliang.
The meeting also discussed the present scenario in Nagaland and the decision about formation of the committee was taken in that meeting.
On December 20, 2021, the Nagaland Assembly in its day-long special session unanimously passed a resolution demanding the Centre to repeal the AFSPA from the entire northeast, and specifically from Nagaland, to strengthen the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful political settlement to the Naga political issue.
The AFSPA, which allows the Army and other central para-military forces to conduct raids, operations, arrest anyone anywhere without prior notice or arrest warrant, is in force in entire Nagaland, Assam, 53 of the 60 Assembly constituencies in Manipur and certain districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
Tripura is the only state in the north eastern region where AFSPA was withdrawn in May 2015 by the then Left Front government led by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar after terror activities were tamed.
The AFSPA was also lifted from the bordering areas of Meghalaya in 2018.
