Centre Extends AFSPA in Parts of Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has extended the application of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, across specified disturbed areas in Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh for an additional six months. Published via official Gazette notifications, the fresh orders will take effect from October 1 and will remain valid through March 31, 2027, unless withdrawn earlier.

The administrative decision follows a comprehensive review of the security environment and law and order situation in the three northeastern states. Section 3 of the legislation empowers the Central government to formally designate regions as disturbed areas, granting deployed security personnel special powers to conduct searches, execute arrests without warrants, and utilize lethal force against individuals violating statutory prohibitions.

Under the statutory framework, any declaration under Section 3 remains limited in duration and mandates periodic reviews after six months. Furthermore, authorized armed forces personnel may use force extending to causing death against individuals violating prohibitions on weapons or unlawful assemblies, destroy armed positions or camps, conduct warrantless arrests for cognizable offences, and enter and search premises without warrants.

In Manipur, the Ministry of Home Affairs renewed the disturbed area status across the state while preserving the baseline exclusion of 13 police station jurisdictions spread across five administrative districts. The continuing unrest linked to clashes between ethnic communities prompted the government to maintain these selective exemptions where civilian policing remains active.

The excluded urban and semi-urban zones cover the jurisdictions of Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Patsoi, and Wangoi police stations within the Imphal West district. In the adjoining Imphal East district, the areas under Porompat, Heingang, and Irilbung police stations remain outside the purview of the special legislation alongside Thoubal police station in Thoubal district, Bishnupur and Nambol police stations in Bishnupur district, and Kakching police station in Kakching district.

For Nagaland, the statutory extension applies to nine complete districts alongside select police station jurisdictions in five other districts. The fully covered districts comprise Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren, and Meluri, maintaining the existing security architecture in these vulnerable sectors.

Additional coverage encompasses 21 police stations across five districts, including Kohima, Mokokchung, Longleng, Wokha, and Zunheboto. In Arunachal Pradesh, the regulatory status remains unchanged, with the notification enforcing the Act across Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts, alongside the border areas governed by the Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district adjacent to Assam.

Among the northeastern states, the special powers legislation has been entirely rescinded in Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Tripura, while continuing to operate selectively across parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland. The current notifications freeze the jurisdictional boundaries until the statutory expiration at the end of March 2027.