The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)on Sunday decided to extend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to the entire state of Manipur, except for 13 police station areas.
AFSPA has been extended to Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh and three police station areas in the state for 6 months, MHA added.
Manipur was put under the President's rule and the assembly under suspended animation on the evening of February 13, days after chief minister N Biren Singh resigned from his post, leading to political uncertainty in the state.
AFSPA has been in effect in Manipur since the early 1980s. It grants special powers to the forces to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”. It has faced much scrutiny for granting sweeping powers to the forces. The security forces conducted search operations and area domination in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts in Manipur on Saturday, ANI reported. The security forces also recovered several arms and ammunitions.
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