1. The Centre reimposes AFSPA in six Manipur police station areas, including Jiribam.
2. AFSPA grants security forces special powers to operate in “disturbed” areas.
3. The decision is in response to ongoing ethnic unrest in the state.
Imphal, Nov 14: The Centre has reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas of Manipur, including the violence-affected Jiribam, due to the ongoing ethnic unrest in the state.
The Act, which designates an area as “disturbed,” gives security forces the necessary powers to operate in such regions.
According to a notification from the Union Home Ministry, the decision was made in response to the escalating violence in the region, which has been fuelled by ethnic tensions.
The police station areas where AFSPA has been reinstated are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East district, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi, and Moirang in Bishnupur.
This new order follows the Manipur government’s imposition of AFSPA across the entire state on October 1, with exceptions for 19 police station areas, including the six newly affected ones.
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The areas excluded from the October 1 order include Imphal, Lamphal, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Patsoi, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Lamlai, Irilbung, Leimakhong, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, Moirang, Kakching, and Jiribam.
The reimposition comes after a violent gun battle in which 11 suspected militants were killed by security forces on Monday. The insurgents, clad in camouflage and armed with sophisticated weapons, had attacked a police station and a nearby CRPF camp in Jiribam district.
A day later, militants abducted six civilians, including women and children, from the same district.
Since May last year, over 200 people have died, and thousands have been displaced due to ethnic violence between the Meitei community in Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo groups from the surrounding hills.
Jiribam, which had remained largely unaffected by the violence in other parts of the state, saw clashes after the mutilated body of a farmer was discovered in a field in June this year, marking the beginning of unrest in the area.
