Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that with the improvement in the law-and-order situation in Assam, the Centre is hopeful that the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) would be repealed from entire Assam in the near future.
Amit Shah said this after presenting the President’s colour to the Assam Police at a glittering function at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.
“People of the state have always opposed AFSPA and it was extended for some 60 times so far. But with the improvement of the law-and-order situation in the state, the Centre lifted AFSPA from 23 districts of the state. I am hopeful that with the continuous improvement in the situation, AFSPA will be removed from the entire state in near future,” Shah said.
AFSPA was enacted in Assam in the 1990s and has since been extended seven times. After eight years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, 23 districts in Assam have been declared AFSPA-free, and the law has been repealed in over 60% of the state, Shah stated.
Peace deals with extremist organisations are being signed one after the other, distracted youth are returning to the mainstream, and talks with neighbouring governments are being made to resolve seven-decade-old disputes, Shah added.
To maintain constitutional order, the Assam Police Department took a stand against extremism. They confronted weapons with guns, bringing the distracted youth back into the mainstream, the Union Home Minister further said.
“Most militant groups have engaged in peace agreements due to the efforts of the Centre and chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma,” he added.
He further said that Assam Police has a long and illustrious history, having successfully combated insurgency, border concerns, arms, drugs, and cattle smuggling, rhino poaching and social issues such as witchcraft to emerge one of the country’s foremost police forces.
