AFSPA extended for six months in Manipur, parts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh

The Ministry of Home Affairs has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, for another six months, effective October 1, across most of Manipur and specified areas of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, officials said on Friday, September 25.

In Manipur, the entire state remains declared a "disturbed area" under the Act, except for the jurisdiction of 13 police stations in the Imphal Valley, which stay exempt from the notification. The extension follows a review of the prevailing law and order situation in the state, which has been under AFSPA in six-month renewal cycles.

In Nagaland, the Act has been extended across eight districts and 21 police station areas in five other districts, following a similar review of the security situation. In Arunachal Pradesh, AFSPA continues to apply to the Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, along with areas under the Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district, which borders Assam.

The extensions come amid continuing demands from civil society groups in the Northeast for the law's withdrawal. Organisations in Manipur, including the Manipuri Students' Federation (MSF), Nupi Khunai-Yairipok, and the Meira Paibis, have periodically staged protests seeking the repeal of AFSPA in the state.

By contrast, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has previously said the Home Ministry has lifted AFSPA from large parts of Assam, reflecting a broader pattern in which the Centre has gradually scaled back the Act's coverage in some areas based on improving security conditions, even as it continues to be renewed in Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.