In 1956, the Center passed the AFSPA Act, which gave the military more authority to quell radicalism in the northeastern states.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will be repealed in Nagaland, Manipur, and parts of Assam, according to the Center. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, made the statement on Thursday.

“The Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken major steps in decades to reduce the violent areas in Nagaland, Manipur, and Assam under AFSPAR,” Shah stated on Twitter.

In 1956, the Center passed the AFSPA Act, which gave the military more authority to quell radicalism in the northeastern states. AFSPA is presently in effect throughout Assam, Nagaland, the entirety of Manipur (excluding Imphal), and three districts of Arunachal Pradesh in the north-east.

Following the shooting deaths of a few residents in Nagaland by suspected militants in December, a new movement in the north-east has emerged to urge the repeal of the controversial law.

At the time, the Center organised a committee to examine how AFSPA was being implemented in the North East. According to Shah’s ministry, AFSPA might be phased out in places where there is no threat of law and order or sabotage. For the time being, the procedure has begun step by step.