AFSPA Extended for Six More Months in Parts of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in "disturbed areas" of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for six more months, from 1 October 2026, unless it is withdrawn earlier.
Manipur: AFSPA stays in force in the whole state, except the areas of 13 police stations. These are six police stations in Imphal West, three in Imphal East, and one each in Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts. These are mostly in the Imphal valley.
Nagaland: AFSPA covers nine full districts (Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren and Meluri), plus some police station areas in Kohima, Mokokchung, Longleng, Wokha and Zunheboto districts.
Arunachal Pradesh: AFSPA covers Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, plus the areas of Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district, which borders Assam.
The extension follows the rule that a "disturbed area" declaration must be reviewed every six months (a rule laid down by the Supreme Court in 1997).
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958
AFSPA is a law that gives the armed forces special powers in areas that the government officially calls "disturbed". It is used where the state police alone cannot control insurgency (an armed rebellion against the government). In such areas, soldiers can search, arrest and, in extreme cases, use force even causing death, and they are protected from easy prosecution. It is one of the most debated security laws in India.
The MHA used its power under Section 3 to keep the "disturbed area" tag on parts of three states for another six months. The six-month period follows the Supreme Court's 1997 review rule. The shrinking list (13 police stations exempt in Manipur, selected districts in Nagaland and Arunachal) shows the Centre's approach of reducing AFSPA step by step, while keeping it in border and insurgency-hit areas.
Insurgency in Northeast India: Causes, Groups and Peace Accords
Northeast India has eight states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. Since India's independence, many armed groups in this region have fought against the government. Some wanted a separate country, some wanted a separate state, and some wanted more power for their own tribe or community. This long struggle is called insurgency. Over the decades, the government has handled it with a mix of security action (like AFSPA) and talks, which often end in written peace accords.
The areas where AFSPA has been extended match the story of insurgency in the region. Nagaland's districts and Arunachal's Tirap, Changlang and Longding sit on routes used by Naga and other armed groups near the Myanmar border. Manipur's hill areas remain tense after the ethnic conflict that began in 2023. The six-month extension shows that, despite many peace accords, the government still sees these areas as needing special security powers.
- AFSPA extended for six months from 1 October 2026 in parts of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh
- Manipur: whole state except 13 police station areas (6 in Imphal West, 3 in Imphal East, 1 each in Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching)
- Nagaland: 9 full districts (Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren, Meluri) plus parts of Kohima, Mokokchung, Longleng, Wokha and Zunheboto
- Arunachal Pradesh: Tirap, Changlang, Longding districts plus Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police station areas of Namsai district
- AFSPA enacted: 1958; Section 3 declaration power given to the Centre by the 1972 amendment
- Six-monthly review: Naga People's Movement of Human Rights v. Union of India (1997)
- AFSPA fully withdrawn: Tripura (2015), Meghalaya (2018); large rollback in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur from 1 April 2022
- Assam (as of September 2026): AFSPA only in Tinsukia, Charaideo and Sivasagar