Infatuation with AFSPA
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 03, 2014 -

It sounds like the same old story repeating itself in a vicious cycle.

Now another year has started counting its last days but the disturbed area status given to the State of Manipur has been extended by one more which implies that the infamous Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA in short would remain effective throughout 2015 as in the past many decades.

Younger generations may not remember when AFSPA was first promulgated in Manipur.

It was in 1980 that the infamous Act was promulgated all over Manipur, several years after the same Act had been enforced in the hill areas of the State.

The State Cabinet held a meeting on December 1 and the Cabinet Ministers felt that disturbed area status should remain tagged to the State of Manipur for at least one more year.

The Cabinet meeting adopted a resolution to extend the disturbed area status by one more year based on reports submitted by CRPF, BSF, Assam Rifles and other central paramilitary forces in addition to taking into account isolated cases of bomb blasts.

Any report submitted by any central paramilitary establishment would not favour abrogation of AFSPA, and if the State Cabinet should decide the fate of disturbed area status based on the reports of paramilitary forces, AFSPA would remain an unwanted guest of this erstwhile ancient kingdom for many more years to come.

The fact that AFSPA is a military Act which has its roots in the British colonial era and has little relevancy in civil administration seems to have blown over the head of the State Government over the years.

If the State Cabinet was talking about violence, we would like to ask the Cabinet Ministers if there is any place on Earth which is free from violence.

Every single day Delhi witnesses more violence than Manipur but no one including the Delhi mandarins think the situation warrants invocation of AFSPA.

Obviously, the only alibi left to political bosses of New Delhi for defending AFSPA is militancy or insurgency.

When AFSPA is indispensable in North East and Kashmir, the same Act is an archaic, purposeless legislation when it comes to dealing with the Maoists or left wing extremism (excuse us for borrowing the term used by the Indian State). This is the irony of AFSPA.

This legislation which has its roots in colonial era is not only draconian but also sectarian, discriminatory and racial as many observers commented.

No part of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra or West Bengal is ‘disturbed’ but Manipur, Nagaland, Assam and Kashmir are always ‘disturbed’.

It was only yesterday 13 CRPF jawans were killed in an ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh.

AFSPA has been tested in Manipur for more than 30 years. It’s time for serious introspection and analysis on the effectiveness of AFSPA as a strategy or machination for dealing with insurgency or militancy.

India is a democratic country and the country proudly claims to be the largest democracy.

Ironically, the Government of India is steadfastly upholding the infamous AFSPA for governance of some of its selected territories which is manifestly discriminatory.

The idea of ‘national security’ which the Indian state emphatically nurtures, we fear, may in the long run create incurable conflicts and permanently alienate the whole of North East and Kashmir psychologically, if not physically.

It appears that the Indian State as well as the respective State Governments is infatuated with AFSPA when it comes to dealing with insurgency in the North East and Kashmir.