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Centre has reimposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur’s six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam, with the Union home ministry asserting that the decision was taken given the ‘continuous volatile situation’ there due to the ongoing ethnic violence.
The recurring violence in the state has once again exposed the failure of the double engine government . Godi media expectedly presses the mute button .
As per PTI report, The Central government notification on the reimposition of AFSPA came the same day the Manipur police announced the seizure of a cache of arms and ammunition from Manipur’s Jiribam and Churachandpur districts.
During cordon and search operations in Champanagar, Narayanpur and Thangboipunjre areas of Jiribam district on Wednesday, one 2-inch mortar, thirty-six live barrel cartridges and five empty barrel cartridges were seized, a police statement said.
The police statement also said that one .303 rifle, one 9mm pistol, two short-range locally made cannon, two long-range locally made cannon, five AK 47 live rounds, two 9mm live rounds, four 12-bore cart cases, and eighteen .303 rifle modified live rounds were also seized from H Kotlian village in Churachandpur district.
AFSPA gives armed forces operating in disturbed areas sweeping powers to search, arrest and open fire if they deem it necessary for the ‘maintenance of public order’.
The decision to reimpose AFSPA was taken given the continuous volatile situation there due to the ongoing ethnic violence, the Union home ministry said in the notification.
Intermittent firing in violence prone areas continues in the fringe areas of Bishnupur-Churachandpur, Imphal East-Kangpokpi-Imphal West and Jiribam districts with several instances of active participation of insurgent groups in heinous acts of violence, according to the notification.
The police station areas where AFSPA has been reimposed are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East district, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi and Moirang in Bishnupur.
On October 1, the Manipur government imposed AFSPA in the entire state, barring 19 police station areas that included these six.
