Entire Naga society has been calling for repeal of AFSPA & that voice is at its loudest today : CM Rio

Congress says, the Nagaland assembly resolution is blunt towards justice. 

Nagaland Congress Chief K. Therie said the chief minister and the home minister are answerable to the people of Nagaland, adding they cannot run away from their responsibilities. 

“They should answer whether 21 paramilitary troopers have come with their knowledge or not. If yes, why? If not, why should they not proceed with criminal proceedings against them? They cannot take cover under AFSPA,” he said. 

Therie said the people’s demand is justice and they want the culprits to be booked according to the law. 

“Entire Naga society has been calling for repeal of AFSPA and that voice is at its loudest today. Even as we participate in this discussion, the entire State is eagerly awaiting the result of this special session and contents of the resolutions we will adopt today. This House must reflect the desire of the people,” said Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio while piloting forcefully an official resolution seeking immediate repeal of the controversial law that gives some impunity to armed forces.

A spirited Angami Naga : Rio 

He said, Nagas did not want to see this Act anymore. Calling for real peace to reach a lasting political solution, he said impediments like AFPSA must be removed so that hurdles in the way for lasting peace were removed.

Removing AFPSA would also contribute towards confidence building, strengthening trust and removing the feeling of alienation from the people’s mind, he said. 

Asserting that Nagas had made significant contributions towards nation building and that they were keen to continue giving efforts to strengthen the country’s foundation, especially by the youth, he therefore stressed that it was all the more important to make every effort to regain public confidence and trust and remove the impediments.

Nagaland assembly adopts resolution ...to demand repeal of #AFSPA "to strengthen the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful political settlement". 

Meanwhile, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said -- Withdrawal of AFSPA cannot be a call of the government. It has to depend on the overall situation, law and order situation of the state. Now suppose I withdraw, will that be reciprocated by the militant organisations?

"If they do not withdraw and we do, the Army will not be able to carry out any operation meaning thereby you are inviting chaos. So I think AFSPA withdrawal is linked to the peace and stability of the state," Sarma said.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, former CM TR Zeliang, 10 others spoke in the special session convened to demand withdrawal of AFSPA from Nagaland.

In order to deal with the situation, Rio recalled that the then Assam government had imposed the Assam Maintenance of Public Order Act, 1953 in Naga Hills district and intensified police operations. As the situation became worse, he said the Assam Government started deploying Assam Rifles in the Naga Hills, enacted the Assam Disturbed Areas Act, 1955, arming the State police and Assam Rifles with certain special powers to deal with the insurgency. But as the State police and Assam Rifles could not contain the insurgency, Government of India promulgated the Armed Forces (Assam & Manipur) Special Powers Ordinance in 1958, which was subsequently converted into an Act by Parliament in the same year. 

Rio said, AFSPA had its origin in the Naga political issue due to the armed rebellion. It was enacted by Parliament in 1958 in order to give Indian security forces certain special powers to deal with Naga armed insurgency and was in force only in the then Naga Hills district of Assam. 

Later on, it spread to other North-eastern States and at present it was still in force in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding Imphal municipal area) and Naga-inhabited districts of Arunachal Pradesh – Changlang, Longding and Tirap. 

It was also in force in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh bordering Assam. Outside the Northeast, it was in force only in Jammu & Kashmir since 1990.

BJP member and minister Paiwang Konyak lamented that even after attainment of statehood on December 1, 1963, AFSPA continued to be enforced despite resistance by the Nagas and killing of innocent people by forces. He observed that public anger against AFSPA increased after the Oting-Tiru massacre, claiming that there were now demands for justice, repeal of AFSPA and punish those responsible for the tragic killings in Tiru and Mon even at the international level. 

Paiwang claimed that Nagaland was peaceful except for extortion and illegal taxations here and there, with shops and business establishments opening everywhere. So, now was the appropriate moment to repeal AFSPA and remove the Disturbed Area tag to bring the people of Nagaland and North-eastern States closer to the nation.