The central government has declared the Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh as disturbed areas for the next six months. Additionally, the Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham police station areas of Namsai district, bordering Assam, are included in this scope. This decision was made under Section 3 of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958. The order will be effective from October 1, 2025, for six months, unless withdrawn earlier. The decision followed a review of the law and order and security situation in the region. The extension of AFSPA in these areas grants armed forces the authority to conduct searches, make arrests, and, if deemed necessary, open fire. The law has often been criticized for its stringent nature.
Simultaneously, the AFSPA has been extended for six months in the remaining parts of Manipur, excluding areas under 13 police stations, due to the current law and order situation. Similarly, the AFSPA has been extended for six months in nine districts of Nagaland and 21 police station areas in five other districts. The AFSPA allows the central government to declare certain states or regions as disturbed.
The notification also stated that the disturbed area status for the concerned regions of the three states has been extended for a period of six months, starting October 1. A separate notification pertaining to Manipur, stated that the entire state is declared as a disturbed area for six months from October 1, 2025, except for the areas under the jurisdiction of 13 police stations. These exclusions include areas in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching districts. Since May 2023, Manipur has been grappling with ethnic violence. The state has been under President’s rule since February 13. The Manipur government had issued a notification in April 2022, removing disturbed area status from certain police stations. Over 260 people have died in the ethnic violence since May 2023.