There was no convincing reason for the recent extension of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for another six months in Assam, as there is nothing good the draconian law can do for the state. The government has been routinely extending it, and it has not cared to spell out the grounds for its decision. It is claimed that the Centre was not very keen on the extension of the Act but the state government insisted on it. This could just be an observation without a basis because what matters is the fact that the law will continue to be in force, whoever is responsible for it. The irony is that both the central and state governments, both ruled by the BJP, have repeatedly claimed that the situation in the state is normal as the militancy has waned in recent years. But the entire state has now been declared a disturbed area for another six months under the provisions of AFSPA.
The disturbed area tag hurts the image of the state when the government is projecting it as an investment destination. Industry and business will not be interested in investing in a state where the continuance of tough laws points to the existence of militancy. It will also act as a dampener for tourism, not only in Assam but in the entire region. AFSPA is in force in Nagaland and parts of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, too. It was imposed in Assam in 1990 and has been in force for over three decades. To govern a state with the help of a law with such stringent and draconian provisions for so long is anti-democratic. A whole new generation has grown up in the state without experiencing life under normal laws.
Civil society and rights groups have demanded the withdrawal of AFSPA from states where it is in operation. It gives excessive and unaccounted powers to the armed forces and these are often misused. There have been extensive human rights violations, including killings of civilians and ill-treatment of women, in such states, and many of them have been recorded. The Supreme Court has also taken note of them. The abuse of the law makes it counter-productive as the excesses lead to alienation of the people from the State. The perpetrators of atrocities get away without punishment. The armed forces have always claimed that AFSPA is needed to fight militancy. Such laws should have no place in a democracy, but if at all they exist, their use should be an exception. Instead, in states like Assam, it has become the rule, having been in operation for long periods.