AFSPA extended in 3 NE states; Kuki group chief held in Aizawl
The Ministry of Home Affairs extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) for six months, effective October 1, 2026, in designated "disturbed areas" of Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh
In Nagaland, the extension covers nine full districts (Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren, and Meluri) plus areas under 21 police stations in five other districts
In Arunachal Pradesh, the extension covers Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts, plus areas under three police stations in Namsai district bordering Assam
In a separate security operation, the commander-in-chief of the banned United Kuki National Army was arrested in Aizawl, Mizoram, in a joint operation involving the Assam Rifles and a state intelligence unit
The arrest and the AFSPA renewals together reflect the continuing internal security assessment across the Northeast's insurgency-affected districts
AFSPA's Differentiated, District-Wise Application Across the Northeast
Unlike a single blanket law applied uniformly, AFSPA's operation in the Northeast has always been calibrated district-by-district and reviewed every six months, based on an intelligence and law-and-order assessment. Section 3 declarations name specific districts or, within a district, specific police station jurisdictions — allowing the Centre to lift AFSPA from improving areas (e.g., the Imphal Valley) while retaining it in others (e.g., Naga Hills districts, Myanmar border tracts).
Key Details
- AFSPA has been fully repealed in Tripura (2015) and Meghalaya (2018) as insurgency declined
- Assam's AFSPA coverage has also been progressively narrowed in recent years, similarly reviewed every six months
- The current round of notifications covers three states (Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh) simultaneously but with different district/police-station carve-outs in each — showing the law's area-specific rather than state-wide character
- Renewal is via a Central Government or Governor's notification under Section 3, valid until the stated expiry (March 31, 2027, for this round) unless withdrawn earlier
The simultaneous six-month extension across three states, each with a distinct list of covered districts, illustrates how the "disturbed area" test is reassessed periodically and applied unevenly based on the ground security situation in each pocket, rather than as a permanent state-wide measure.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and Banning of Insurgent Outfits
Organisations such as militant groups operating in Manipur can be formally proscribed as "unlawful associations" or "terrorist organisations" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, which is the principal statute for banning extremist outfits in India (alongside the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, for prosecuting scheduled offences). Banning triggers criminal liability for membership, funding, and support, and enables coordinated action by central and state security forces.
Key Details
- UAPA, 1967 (significantly amended in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2019) allows the Central Government to declare an organisation "unlawful" (Section 3) or a "terrorist organisation" (Schedule I, under Section 35) after due notification and review by a Tribunal
- The 2019 amendment additionally allows the Central Government to designate an individual (not just an organisation) as a terrorist
- Security operations against proscribed outfits in the Northeast are typically carried out jointly by the Army, Assam Rifles, and state police/intelligence units, reflecting the coordinated Centre-state internal security architecture in insurgency-affected states
- Assam Rifles functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs but the operational control of the Indian Army — a dual-control arrangement dating to the post-1962 reorganisation, earning it the nickname "Sentinels of the North East"
The arrest of a proscribed outfit's commander in a joint Assam Rifles-intelligence operation demonstrates the UAPA-backed proscription regime and the Centre-state joint security machinery that AFSPA extensions are meant to support in these same districts.
- AFSPA extended for 6 months (October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027) in Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh
- Nagaland: 9 full districts + 21 police station areas across 5 more districts under AFSPA
- Arunachal Pradesh: Tirap, Changlang, Longding districts + 3 police stations in Namsai district under AFSPA
- AFSPA, 1958 — Section 3 (disturbed area declaration), renewable every six months per Naga People's Movement of Human Rights v. UOI (1998)
- AFSPA fully repealed: Tripura (2015), Meghalaya (2018)
- Assam Rifles: administrative control — Ministry of Home Affairs; operational control — Indian Army
- UAPA, 1967 — Section 3 (unlawful association), Section 35/Schedule I (terrorist organisation); amended 2019 to allow individual terrorist designation