Agencies
ITANAGAR, OCTOBER 4
THE ministry of home affairs, which was contemplating to review the utility of Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), has extended disturbed area tag on three districts of Arunachal Pradesh for another six months.
The MHA through a formal notification on September 20, 2014, stated that law and order situation of three districts Tirap, Changlang and Longding has remained unchanged.
The notification justifies the necessity of extending AFSPA, pointed out that the factions of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) continue to indulge in inter-factional clashes. The NSCN also continue to interfere in the political matters by intimidating leaders for extortion. Apart from Naga rebel groups, United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) and certain Manipur based underground outfits continue to use these districts for their movement to their camps in Myanmar. The three districts are also used as corridor for trafficking of arms and ammunitions to various insurgent groups of the northeast, the home ministry in its notification claimed.
The declaration of Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh as “disturbed areas” was last reviewed in March 2014, the notification pointed out, adding that the validity of declaration of these three districts of Arunachal Pradesh as “disturbed areas” was extended up to September 30, 2014.
The remote frontier districts were first declared as disturbed areas on September 17, 1991 and AFSPA was promulgated to tackle the growing activities of separatist outfits. Longding district, which is carved out of Tirap was also declared as ‘disturbed area’ through a notification on July 30, 2012.
