GUWAHATI: Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma, both NDA allies, on Monday joined the clamour for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from the northeast, terming it a “draconian” piece of legislation that allows the Army to arrest without any warrant and kill without having to answer for it.
“The Armed Forces (special power) Act has blackened the image of India, which is the world’s biggest democratic country. This draconian act should be removed,” Rio said while addressing mourne-rs at a mass funeral service for the 14 civilian victims of Saturday’s botched Army operation in Mon.
He said AFSPA had been in force in Nagaland for 59 years, 25 of those despite a ceasfire with insurgent groups. “But still they (centre) do not remove the Act. They (Centre) argue that insurgency and the Naga movement are still alive, and till the conflict is resolved, they cannot remove this Act. I am asking them, when all insurgent groups are in ceasefire and there is peace, why do you tag our state as a disturbed area? Everytime the state cabinet recommends to the Centre not to extend the disturbed area tag, Delhi extends it.”
Meghalaya CM Sangma said he would personally speak to Shah about the need to repeal AFSPA. “We have seen that putting AFSPA has not really given any result and in the last many years that the Act has been there, it has only been counter-productive,” he said.
