The Union government has extended the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in several regions of Northeast India. In Arunachal Pradesh, the AFSPA will remain in effect for six months in the districts of Tirap, Changlang, and Longding, as well as the Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham police station areas of Namsai district, bordering Assam. This decision, under Section 3 of the AFSPA, 1958, comes into force on October 1, 2025, and is valid for six months, unless withdrawn earlier. This action was taken after a review of the security and law enforcement situation in the region. The law permits the armed forces to search, arrest, and, if needed, open fire in the designated disturbed areas. The implementation of AFSPA has often been subject to criticism.
In Manipur, AFSPA has been extended for six months across the state, with exclusions from certain police station areas. Likewise, AFSPA has also been extended in nine districts and 21 police station areas across five other districts in Nagaland, for the same period. AFSPA allows the government to declare specific regions or states as disturbed areas.
The notification indicated that the disturbed area status of the concerned areas in the three states has been extended for a period of six months, beginning October 1. The Manipur notification specifies that the entire state is declared as a disturbed area for six months from October 1, 2025, with exemptions for 13 police stations. The excluded areas are located in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching districts. Manipur has been dealing with ethnic violence since May 2023, with over 260 casualties. The state has been under President’s rule since February 13.