Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that the Union government has withdrawn the ‘disturbed area’ tag from Dibrugarh, effectively lifting the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the district.
With this, AFSPA remains in force in only three districts—Tinsukia, Sivasagar, and Charaideo.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati here on Thursday, Sarma stated, “The whole of Assam was once under AFSPA, but over time, the Centre has withdrawn the act in a phased manner. We have requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to lift AFSPA entirely from the state, and the removal from Dibrugarh is a step in that direction. We expect further revocations in the next review meeting.”
AFSPA, enacted in 1958, grants the armed forces sweeping powers to conduct operations, make arrests without warrants, and use force against suspected insurgents in areas classified as “disturbed.” The Act was imposed across Assam in 1990 due to heightened insurgent activity.
However, in recent years, improved law and order conditions, peace deals with militant groups, and declining insurgency-related violence have led to its gradual rollback.
The first major revocation of AFSPA in Assam took place in April 2022, when it was removed from 23 districts and partially withdrawn from one district. Subsequent reviews have further reduced its footprint, with Dibrugarh now being the latest to exit the list.
