An entire state of Assam has been declared ‘disturbed area’ and the government has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 for a period of six months with immediate effect.
‘As per powers conferred under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, the Governor of Assam has declared the entire State of Assam as ‘Disturbed Area’ up to 6 months beyond 28th August 2018, unless withdrawn earlier,’
Under this act, the security forces get special rights and immunity while carrying out various operations in ‘disturbed’ areas.
Meanwhile, demands for withdrawal of the Act has been put forward by many civil society groups and activists claiming violation of human rights by the armed forces.
This came amid the controversy over Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Supreme Court had earlier this month asked for a detailed report on the district wise percentage of the population not included in the draft of the NRC list and had said that the authorities must not take any action against those not included in the list.