After a military op in Nagaland resulted in the deaths of 14 civilians, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma joined in the chorus for repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the northeast. "AFSPA should be repealed," he tweeted. Sangma, the head of National People’s Party, is allied with the BJP-led NDA.
AFSPA should be repealed
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) December 6, 2021
Civil society groups and rights activists and political leaders of the region have been demanding the withdrawal of the "draconian" law for years, alleging excesses by security forces with impunity under the cover of the Act. The AFSPA is in force in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur (excluding Imphal Municipal Council Area), Changlang, Longding and Tirap districts of Arunachal Pradesh, and areas falling within the jurisdiction of eight police stations of districts in Arunachal Pradesh bordering Assam.
The North East Students' Organisation (NESO), an umbrella body of students' unions of the region, said the Centre should repeal the law if it is concerned about the welfare and well-being of the people of the northeast. "...otherwise it will only further alienate the people of the region," NESO chairman Samuel B. Jyrwa said. "The armed forces have been operating in the Northeast with impunity and they are further emboldened with the imposition of a draconian law known as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 [AFSPA]," he added.
The incident in Nagaland's Mon brings back horrific memories of the past where on numerous occasions the security forces "massacred, tortured the innocent villagers and raped women" in the name of fighting insurgency, he claimed.
TIPRA chairman Pradyot Deb Barma said that those responsible should be held accountable and laws like AFSPA have to be repealed.
Rajya Sabha member from Assam and senior journalist Ajit Kumar Bhuyan said the killing of the villagers should be an eye-opener for all. "Incidents like this are the reason we have been constantly protesting against renewal of draconian AFSPA. This is not the first incident, but I hope this is the last."
All Assam Students' Union (AASU) chief Advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharjya said, "The action of the security forces is an unpardonable and heinous crime."
