A parliamentary panel today questioned top officials of the government and a paramilitary force over the imposition of AFSPA in Assam, saying whether it can be restricted to only sensitive districts of the state.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, was today briefed by Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior officials of the Assam Rifles on the "security situation in the northeastern states of India".
During the meeting, the panel members asked the officials about the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act or the AFSPA in Assam and the present situation, a member who was present in the meeting said.
"Panel members also asked whether the AFSPA can be scaled down to a few sensitive districts in Assam as was done in Arunachal Pradesh," the member said.
The panel also questioned the officials about various insurgent groups active in the state, especially the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
The government officials said that the situation in the state was better after the imposition of the AFSPA, the member said.
The controversial AFSPA was extended for six more months beginning September this year in the entire Assam by declaring the state "disturbed".
The stringent law was first imposed in the state in 1990 after violence perpetuated by the ULFA had created severe law and order crisis.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the AFSPA has been imposed in two districts -- Tirap and Changlang -- and some police station areas in a few other districts due to the presence of ULFA, NDFB and several Naga insurgent groups.
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