Manipur Hill Areas to Continue as 'Disturbed' Under AFSPA: State Government
New Delhi: The Manipur government will continue with the erstwhile categorisation of the Hill areas of the state as ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and has stated that a detailed assessment on the ground is not possible at this stage.
AFSPA will not be implemented in Valley areas under the jurisdiction of 19 police stations across seven districts including the capital city of Imphal.
This will be effective for the next six months, starting from October 1.
The Hindu noted that the state of Manipur was declared a "disturbed area" under AFSPA in 2004. The Imphal municipality area was an exception to this classification. Since April 2022, these 19 police stations have been out of its purview.
The police station areas in the valley which are not "disturbed areas" are Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Pastol, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingagng, Lamlai, Iribung, Leimakhong, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, Moirang, Kakchin and Jirbam, PTI has reported.
The Hindu, along with Indian Express, has it that the government could not conduct a detailed assessment on the ground at this point because its "sister agencies" were involved in tackling the law and order situation.
The government, in its notification, noted that the issue was sensitive.
“Further, the issue of declaration of “Disturbed area” status is very sensitive and may likely attract public criticism and resistance if proper care is not taken. Keeping in view of above and the overall law and order situation in the State and the capability of the State machineries, the State Government has decided to maintain status quo on the present disturbed area status in the State of Manipur excluding the areas falling under the 19 police stations for a period of 6(six) months w.e.f. 01/10/2023," the Hindu report quoted.
The decision comes amidst fresh deaths and violence in the state which has seen brutal killing, sexual assaults, arson and other crimes since ethnic conflict broke out on May 3. As a result of the violence, Hill areas, which are Kuki-Zo majority and Valley areas, which have a predominantly Meitei population, have been sharply divided.
Hyderabad University political science professor Kham Khan Suan Hausing has pointed to the fact that the classification of an area as "disturbed" is marked by ethnicity.
"The new normal politics of imposing AFSPA where 'disturbed areas' is a function of your ethnic location & equation with the powers-that-be, hence can be either 'too sensitive' or a matter of 'casual' disavowal. Imagine what would ensue if the reverse logic were applied," he wrote.
The new normal politics of imposing AFSPA where 'disturbed areas' is a function of your ethnic location & equation with the powers-that-be, hence can be either 'too sensitive' or a matter of 'casual' disavowal. Imagine what would ensue if the reverse logic were applied… pic.twitter.com/6MFa1lvFrB
— Kham Khan Suan Hausing (@kksuanh) September 27, 2023
In July after he spoke the situation in Manipur in an interview to journalist Karan Thapar, for The Wire, an FIR had been filed against Hausing and later, the houses of two lawyers who were representing him were vandalised.
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