Guwahati, Mar 31: The Assam government has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in Tinsukia, Charaideo, and Sivasagar districts for another six months, while withdrawing it from Dibrugarh, citing improved law and order conditions.

According to an order issued by Home and Political Department Secretary Debaprasad Misra on Sunday, the decision follows a review of the security situation and reports from various agencies. The four districts had been under AFSPA since October 8, 2023, after the law was lifted from the rest of the state.

The order stated that Assam’s overall security situation has improved due to sustained counter-insurgency operations by security forces. However, the presence of ULFA (I), the only active militant group in the state, remains a concern, with sporadic incidents of improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and kidnappings for ransom.

AFSPA was first imposed in Assam in November 1990 and has been extended every six months since then. The law grants security forces special powers to conduct operations, make arrests without warrants, and provides legal immunity for their actions.

Civil society groups and rights activists have long demanded the repeal of AFSPA, citing human rights concerns. The call for its withdrawal intensified after the killing of 14 civilians in a security operation and subsequent violence in Nagaland’s Mon district on December 4, 2021.