The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to extend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in specific regions of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur. In Arunachal Pradesh, the Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts, along with the Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham police station areas of Namsai district, which border Assam, will remain under AFSPA for six more months. This directive, issued under Section 3 of the AFSPA, 1958, will be effective from October 1, 2025, until earlier revoked. This decision follows a thorough assessment of the prevailing security and law and order conditions.
In Manipur, the government has also extended AFSPA for six months across the state, excluding areas under 13 police stations. Similarly, in Nagaland, AFSPA has been extended in nine districts and 21 police station areas in five other districts for the same duration. Under AFSPA, designated areas are considered disturbed, empowering armed forces to conduct searches, make arrests, and use force if necessary. These actions have drawn criticism for their impact on human rights.
The latest notification indicated the extension of the disturbed area status for the mentioned areas in the three states starting from October 1 for the next six months. The notification related to Manipur, states that the entire state is declared a disturbed area for six months starting from October 1, 2025, excluding the areas under 13 police stations. The excluded police stations are located in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching districts. Manipur has been experiencing ethnic violence since May 2023. The state has been under President’s rule since February 13. More than 260 lives have been lost in this violence.