AFSPA Extended in Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh Till March 2027: How Disturbed Areas and Ceasefire Deals Work
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued three separate notifications extending the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in parts of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for six more months.
The extension starts on 1 October 2026 and stays in force till 31 March 2027, unless it is withdrawn earlier. It came after a review of the law and order situation in the three states.
Manipur: The whole state stays a "disturbed area" (an area where the special law applies), except 13 police station areas 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.
Arunachal Pradesh: AFSPA continues in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, and in the Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police station areas of Namsai district, which borders Assam.
The extension comes amid fresh tension between Kuki and Naga communities in Manipur's hill districts, including an attack in Kamjong district on 24 September 2026 in which four Naga civilians were killed. Manipur has also faced ethnic violence since May 2023, and tens of thousands of displaced people still live in relief camps.
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958
AFSPA is a law passed by Parliament in 1958. It gives the armed forces special powers in areas that the government declares "disturbed". Normally, the Army is not used for everyday law and order. AFSPA allows it to act like the police, with extra powers, when the situation is too serious for the state police alone.
The MHA used its Section 3 power to renew the disturbed-area status for another six months, as the six-month review rule requires. In Manipur the law now covers almost all the hill areas where Kuki-Naga tension is rising, while 13 police station areas in the Imphal valley remain outside it.
Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement
A Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement is a deal between the government and an armed rebel group to stop fighting each other for a while. The security forces stop their operations against the group. In return, the group's fighters stop violence, live in special camps and lock up their weapons. It is a pause in fighting that gives time for peace talks. It is not a final peace settlement.
The Centre extended AFSPA in Manipur's hills as Kuki-Naga tension grows, and the attack in Kamjong has been linked to a Kuki militant group. At the same time, many civil society groups are demanding that the SoO with Kuki-Zo groups be ended. So the SoO, and whether its ground rules are being followed, is at the centre of the debate on how to restore peace in Manipur.
Insurgency in Northeast India: Peace Accords and the CAPF Framework
Northeast India has faced several armed movements since Independence. They grew out of strong ethnic identities, demands for self-rule or separate territory, and gaps in development and governance. The government's approach has mixed security operations (including AFSPA) with ceasefires, talks and peace accords.
The AFSPA extension shows that, despite many accords across the Northeast, Manipur remains the hardest case. Here three sets of demands (Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Naga) overlap in the same hills, so security laws and peace talks have to run side by side.
- AFSPA extension: 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 (six months), through three MHA notifications
- 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)
- Arunachal Pradesh: Tirap, Changlang, Longding districts, plus Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police station areas of Namsai district
- AFSPA enacted in 1958; Section 3 (disturbed area declaration), Section 4 (special powers), Section 6 (sanction for prosecution)
- Supreme Court (1997, Naga People's Movement of Human Rights): disturbed-area status to be reviewed every six months
- SoO with KNO and UPF: tripartite since 22 August 2008; renewed on 3 September 2025 for one year with new ground rules
- Four Naga civilians killed in Kamjong district, Manipur, on 24 September 2026