Living with ASPFA for 56 years
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 12, 2014 -

Enacted on September 11, 1958 as an Act of Indian Parliament to tackle the problem of Naga insurgency, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives sweeping power to personnel of Indian Armed forces even to the extent of ensuring virtual immunity against any possible prosecution for their act of blatant human rights violation, has completed 56 years of existence.

It is a cruel irony, nay, a human tragedy that in a ‘Sovereign, Socialist, Secular and Democratic Republic’ like India, which supposedly assures all its citizens justice, equality and liberty; imposition of such a draconian black law like Armed Forces Special Powers Act has continued in some parts of the country, thus, depriving the basic human right to life of the people for the last 56 years.

At the time of passing the Act, there was some resistance within the Parliament but the majority prevailed and the Act was passed and promulgated with the consent of the President of India.

But 56 years down the line, debate on the purpose of the Act still rages on even as people in the States under the grip of AFSPA continue to bear the brunt of this draconian law under which security personnel are empowered to arrest any people without issuing warrant or kill anyone on mere suspicion without any fear of being prosecution. Nothing could be more ironic and tragic than this.

Imposition of Armed Forces Special Powers Act in some hill areas of Manipur for the first time may have come 3 years after its enactment by the Parliament and the whole State may have been gradually brought under the grip of the Army Act by 1980, but the people of State have suffered the most. With numerous incidents of arbitrary arrests and killings, fake encounters, forced disappearances, rape and torture, massacres, etc, becoming part of their existence in a democratic country, people of Manipur have been demanding its repeal and Irom Chanu Sharmila has been on a fast for nearly 14 years now demanding repeal of this Act.

In addition to public outcry over Army excesses, redundancy over imposition of AFSPA in Manipur has become more than evidently clear from the inability of the Act to curb the problem of insurgency.

In fact, the Act has become counter-productive today with multiplication of insurgent groups instead of curbing the problem.

There have also been serious allegations of misuse of not just the extraordinary powers conferred on them but also working hand in glove with some splinter UG groups by the Army for their own purpose.

Continual existence of such a despised Act despite strong public protest and global calls for repealing it, not to speak of the numerous and recommendations for its repeal made by even the Government-instituted committees and commissions, and the insistence of the Army that they cannot do without it in dealing with the insurgents, has compelled the people to wonder how many more lives have to be sacrificed in Manipur for the gallantry awards to bedeck the brave Indian Army soldiers.