Nagpur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah today announced that areas covered under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur will be reduced after several decades.
The home minister took to micro-blogging website, Twitter to announce the development.
AFSPA has been lifted from 23 Assam districts completely and from one district partially, 15 police stations in six Manipur districts, and 15 police stations in seven districts of Nagaland.
PTI quoted home ministry spokesperson saying the decision does not imply that the AFSPA has been completely withdrawn from the three insurgency-hit states but will continue to be in force in some areas.
The Section 4 of the AFSPA accords special powers to the armed forces, authorising the personnel to open fire, arrest people without warrants, enter and search without warrant, having immunity from prosecution.
Section 6 grants immunity to the security personnel from prosecution, suit or other legal proceedings.
