AFSPA Extended for Six More Months in Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh: How the Law Works
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued notifications on 25 September 2026 extending the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 for six more months, from 1 October 2026 (till 31 March 2027).
Manipur: the whole state stays a "disturbed area" (an area where the government says the situation is so bad that the armed forces must help the police), except the areas of 13 police stations in five valley districts: Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching.
Nagaland: AFSPA continues in nine districts (Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren and Meluri) and in the areas of 21 police stations in Kohima, Mokokchung, Longleng, Wokha and Zunheboto districts.
Arunachal Pradesh: AFSPA continues in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, and in the areas of Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district, which borders Assam.
The declarations are made under Section 3 of AFSPA. In these areas, the armed forces get special powers to search, arrest and use force, with legal protection for actions taken in good faith.
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, is a law passed by Parliament in 1958. It gives the Army and other central armed forces special powers in places the government declares "disturbed areas". In these places, soldiers can search homes, arrest people without a warrant and, in some cases, even fire at people. It is one of the most important and most debated laws on internal security in India.
The six-month extension in Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh follows the Supreme Court's rule that a disturbed-area declaration under Section 3 must be reviewed every six months. The exclusion of 13 police station areas in Manipur's valley shows how the Centre now fine-tunes AFSPA at the level of individual police stations, rather than applying it to whole states.
Article 355: The Union's Duty to Protect States
Article 355 of the Constitution says that the Union (the Central Government) has a duty to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance. It also says the Union must make sure that every state government is run according to the Constitution. You can think of it as a promise from the Centre to every state: "If you face a serious threat, we will help you, and we will also make sure you are governed properly."
AFSPA deployments in Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are one way the Centre carries out its duty under Article 355 to protect states from internal disturbance. The Centre's power to declare disturbed areas directly, and to deploy forces under Entry 2A of the Union List, flows from this constitutional framework.
- AFSPA extended for six months from 1 October 2026 (till 31 March 2027); MHA notifications dated 25 September 2026
- Manipur: whole state "disturbed" except 13 police station areas in five districts (Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching)
- Nagaland: nine districts (Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren, Meluri) plus 21 police station areas in five other districts
- Arunachal Pradesh: Tirap, Changlang, Longding districts plus Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police station areas in Namsai district
- Declaration made under Section 3 of AFSPA, 1958
- AFSPA re-imposed in six police station areas of Manipur (including Jiribam) on 14 November 2024
- Supreme Court (1997): disturbed-area declarations must be reviewed every six months