Afspa back in parts of restive Manipur areas

Section 3 of Afspa defines ‘disturbed area’ as a region where there is ‘extensive disturbance of the public peace and tranquillity’

The Union government on Thursday reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or Afspa, in areas under the jurisdiction of six police stations across five Manipur districts, more than a year after it was removed from these places, amid a fresh wave of violence in the state.

The remains of a truck set ablaze by militants in Jiribam district, Manipur, on Wednesday. (PTI)

In an official notification, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) declared the regions falling under Sekmai and Lamsang police stations in Imphal West district; Lamlai in Imphal East; Jiribam in Jiribam; Leimakhong in Kangpokpi; and Moirang in Bishnupur as “disturbed area”.In April 2022, MHA removed Afspa from Sekmai, Lamsang, Lamlai and Jiribam police stations and in March 2023, from Leimakhong and Moirang citing an “improved law and order situation”.

“The areas falling under the jurisdiction of…. six police stations in Manipur are declared as ‘disturbed area’. The Central Government is of the opinion that imposition of AFSPA,1958 in the… 6 Police Stations of 5 districts in Manipur is warranted to carry out well-coordinated operations by the security forces to maintain the security situation and contain the activities of insurgent groups in these areas,” the notification said.

Section 3 of Afspa defines “disturbed area” as a region where there is “extensive disturbance of the public peace and tranquillity.” Before Thursday’s notification, all of Manipur except the areas falling under the jurisdiction of 19 police stations were categorised as “disturbed.”. The act grants special powers to the forces to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”, empowering the personnel to even “fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death, against any person who is acting in contravention of any law or order”. It remains a contentious legislation, with civil society members saying that it gives personnel impunity to carry out excesses and forces saying that it helps them maintain order in restive areas.

The reimposition of Afspa comes in the backdrop of fresh attacks on civilians and renewed gunfights between forces and militants in the northeastern state. The Centre has already rushed 20 additional paramilitary companies, or nearly 2,500 personnel, to Manipur, where 230 people have died in clashes that started roughly 18 months ago between the majority Meitei and the tribal Kukis, with other communities increasingly sucked into the violence.

“The security situation in the State of Manipur has been further reviewed in consultation with the stakeholders. It is noted that situation continues to remain volatile amidst ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur and intermittent firing in violence-prone areas continues in the fringe areas of Bishnupur-Churachandpur, Imphal East-Kangpokpi-Imphal West and Jiribam districts with several instances of active participation of insurgent groups in heinous acts of violence,” the notification added.

Jiribam, which is home to Meiteis, Kukis, Bengalis, Nepalis, Nagas, and other communities, was the epicentre of the fresh wave of clashes to besiege the state. Last Thursday, a 31-year-old woman was allegedly shot, raped, and set on fire as suspected members of the radical Meitei organisation Arambai Tenggol attacked a tribal village in the district, triggering a surge in violence. On Monday, security forces gunned down 10 militants in Jiribam after a group of armed men attacked a CRPF post. A day after the gunfight, bodies of two civilians were recovered from a Jiribam village. Six members of a Meitei family from the same village—three women and three children—were reported missing, with officials saying that they were likely abducted by militants.

“...DG Assam Rifles has already reached at CCpur [Churachandpur] for safe release of 6 abducted meitei people of Jiribam Manipur. Great efforts from Ministry of Home Affairs& Grateful to Hon’ble HM Shri Amit Shah ji & PMO India,” Rajya Sabha MP Maharaja Leishemba Sanajaoba said in a post on X.

.In the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur, suspected Kuki militants attacked a group of farmers working in a paddy field close to the foothills of adjoining Churachandpur district, killing a 34-year-old woman. On Wednesday, suspected militants again opened fire on a group of farmers in the district, leading to a gunfight with the personnel of the 9th Indian Reserved Battalion (IRB).

The unrest played out in the Meitie-majority Imphal Valley on Wednesday after normal life came to a halt due to a total shutdown called by 13 civil rights organisations to protest against what they called an “increase in attacks by Kuki militants”. Late on Wednesday, a 28-year- old was shot dead by unknown assailants in the Imphal East district. Police have registered a case and are investigating the motive behind the killing.

The security situation has worsened after tribal bodies asked people from the community to obstruct the operations of CRPF, accusing it of bias. In the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, the groups took out rallies against the central force.

“The police stations where Afspa has been reimposed are located in the buffer zones between hills and valley. These are the places where most of the gunfights are happening and the situation is tense. This is also the harvest season, so many farmers are working in the fields near the foothills,” a senior security officer posted in Manipur said on condition of anonymity.

Far from any administrative salve to a now fractured society, the fallout of the long-running ethnic hostilities has meant that the Meiteis, who live largely in the plains of the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, who predominantly live in the hills, have withdrawn to their respective strongholds. In response, security forces have created buffer zones in different border districts, set up camps and posts on highways. But often, militants from both groups use the hills and the jungle area to cross into other districts and attack each other.

Afspa gives greater autonomy to security personnel when conducting operations. Under the act, they can arrest without warrant any person who has committed a cognisable offence or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists. They can enter and search without warrant any premises to recover arms and explosives and also use force during the operation. No legal proceeding can be initiated against the officers, who are part of such operations, without a sanction from the central government.

“Militants from both the sides are crossing from different districts using the jungles in the buffer zones. The army and Assam Rifles have their own network of gathering intelligence. At times, the crucial period of immediately acting on an information after receiving it is lost in the need to get a requisition from different places. Whenever such information is shared with different agencies, it loses its secrecy. But when an area is declared “disturbed,” the forces can act swiftly,” a second officer said, requesting anonymity.

Ng Lun Kipgen, a spokesperson of Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity(COTU), said the reimposition of Afspa in just six areas was an eyewash. “COTU has fervently sought Afspa in all areas within the jurisdiction of 19 police stations in the valley districts from day one. Afspa is required to rein in all armed militia, such as Arambai Tenggol who are freely roaming in the Capital brandishing those looted arms unchecked. The damage is already done,” Kipgen said.