IMPHAL, Nov 14: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Thursday that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been reimposed in six police station areas across five districts, including Jiribam. These areas have now been declared “disturbed areas” under AFSPA, granting armed forces special operational powers.
According to the MHA order, the reimposed areas include Sekmai and Lamsang police stations in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi, and Moirang in Bishnupur district.
Earlier on October, the government extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) by another six months in Manipur hill districts excluding 19 police station areas falling under the Imphal valley and a region that shares its boundary with Assam. These exclusions were due to relatively stable conditions in those areas compared to the rest of the state.
The fresh decision to bring six previously exempted areas back under AFSPA follows a significant encounter in Manipur’s Jiribam, where 10 suspected militants were killed in a gunfight with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, underscoring the need for heightened security in these regions.
The “Disturbed Area” tag was first lifted from Imphal Municipality areas in 2004, with further removal from 15 police stations across six districts in April 2022 and four more police stations in April 2023. AFSPA grants the armed forces broad powers to search, arrest, and open fire if deemed necessary in “disturbed areas.”
