The Manipur government has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) for another six months across the violence-stricken northeastern state, excluding regions under the jurisdiction of 19 police stations.

In a notification, N Ashok Kumar, the state’s home commissioner, stated that the government has decided to maintain the status quo due to the activities of extremist or insurgent groups, the overall law-and-order situation, and the state’s capacity to manage these issues. The government assessed the security conditions and concluded that it would not be practical to conduct a detailed ground review at this time.

The notification further explained that security forces are heavily engaged in maintaining order. “Further it will be premature to arrive at any conclusion or decision on such a sensitive matter without detailed assessment thereby not appropriate to review the ‘Disturbed Area’ status of the state at the moment,” said the notification dated September 26.

The AFSPA, in place in Manipur since the early 1980s, is based on a colonial-era ordinance. It grants special powers to security forces to enforce public order in designated ‘disturbed areas’ but has drawn scrutiny due to the broad powers it confers on the forces.

Under the AFSPA, legal proceedings against armed forces personnel cannot be initiated without prior sanction from the Union government, specifically for allegations related to duties performed in AFSPA-affected areas.

The Act was lifted in 2004 from the Imphal municipality area, in April 2022 from regions under 15 police stations across six districts, and again in April 2023 from areas under four more police stations.