The AFSPA discourse has once again come into focus with the 19th death anniversary of Thangjam Manorama.
In view of election promises made by BJP, AFSPA was lifted from only 15 police stations, including the six within the Greater Imphal area, and it was withdrawn in the previous Congress regime.
In the most recent order, nine more police stations, including Sekmai, Lamsang, Bishnupur, Patsoi, Lamlai, Irilbung, Thoubal, Kakching, and Jiribam, all in the valley districts, have been excluded from AFSPA operations.
In Assam, AFSPA was withdrawn from 23 districts, while in Manipur and Nagaland, it was withdrawn from 15 police stations each. To the Indian establishment, it was a big move given the objections from the defence lobby against its removal. However, it was not enough for the people of the region who had suffered under the shadow of the Act. The Act remains in force in all the hill districts, irrespective of whether it adjoins the international boundary.
We agree that it is a big step forward for the Narendra Modi-led government from the security perspective and a promise made before the elections that has been partially fulfilled. But, we must say, such partial removal is discriminatory in a sense, and one has to analyse the internal dynamics of the states as well while formulating policies and taking decisions.
The recent decision to remove the Act from the valley region while leaving out the hill districts does not augur well for both government and community relations. And the BJP government here has to go an extra mile in explaining the central government's decision.There is every possibility of the hill-based CSOs asking as to how the state government has not been able to convince the central government with regard to the removal of the Act from the hill areas.
There is also merit in favour of the hill areas. There is an ongoing ceasefire with the NSCN (I-M) and Suspension of Operations (SoO) with the Kuki militant groups. However, in view of the present situation, strategic options seem to have changed. Insurgency activities have been reduced to a great extent in the valley areas, but there is still no feasible signs of starting a peace process with the valley based insurgent organisations except with some fringe groups.
The central government decision to remove the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from certain districts in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur comes against the backdrop of vociferous demands from various states in the Northeast to remove AFSPA. In 2004, the Jeevan Reddy Committee set up by then Manmohan Singh government recommended the repeal of AFSPA. A Cabinet sub-committee was formed to examine the matter.
However, the Modi government rejected the recommendations of the Reddy Committee, and the Cabinet sub-committee was also dissolved. The Administrative Reforms Commission, headed by Verrappa Moily also recommended repeal of the Act in 2008. Thereafter, the Supreme Court appointed the Justice Santosh Hegde committee to investigate encounter killings in Manipur based on a writ petition filed by the Extra-Judicial Execution Victim Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) in 2012.
Manipur had never demanded withdrawal but repeal, as was the demand of the Iron Lady, Irom Chanu Sharmila. Besides Irom Chanu Sharmila’s 16 year long lone battle of indefinite hunger strike, the state of Manipur witnessed an unprecedented movement against AFSPA in 2004. On July 15, 2004, 12 Meira Paibi leaders had disrobed in front of the historic Kangla Fort in the heart of Imphal, the then headquarters of the Assam Rifles, protesting against the brutal killing of Manorama Thangjam, a 32-year-old woman. The anti-AFSPA movement ignited by the Manorama incident led not only to the lifting of the Act from the Greater Imphal area which has seven assembly constituencies, but also the formation of the Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee.
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