[Assam] AFSPA

[xourov pathok]

> If that is what the law is it does certainly sounds 
> very undemocratic. Why did they enact this kind of 
> law in the first place? 
> What were the oposition
> doing? And more importantly, how much opposition(or 
> support) did the MPs
> from Assam offer?

afspa ultimately owes its origin to a british colonial
law---the armed forces (special powers) ordinance,
1942.  its child, the assam disturbed areas act, 1955,
was enacted by the assam state assembly, against phizo
in nagaland---within 8 years of independence from
british rule.  compare the language from the two acts
in this graphic:
http://www.flonnet.com/fl2118/images/20040910005401400.jpg

the 1955 law was followed by the central act in 1958
and later extended to all states in the north-east,
1972.  in 1990, a similar law was passed for kashmir
(look at the graphic again).  

the above is paraphrased from m s prabhakar's article
http://www.flonnet.com/fl2118/stories/20040910006101200.htm.
he mentions that no one in assam protested the 1955
law since it affected a remote area.  since then, the
law has spread to many other areas, including all
places in assam.


> In any case, bad laws are bad laws - they ought to
go.

the news item looks as if afspa is on its way out. 
but look at some of the other reports:

"In a suggestion which may not be acceptable to many 
states, the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) on

Monday recommended sweeping powers to the Centre to 
deploy armed forces in states and favoured a new law 
governing "federal crimes" — like terrorism and human 
trafficking — which can be probed by CBI on its own."
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Centre_may_get_power_to_deploy_troops_in_states/articleshow/2148754.cms)

in other words, afspa will not die, but probably
spread to other states in some other form.  in central
india, you have the naxalite menace to take care of. 
i think an afpsa-like law for the entire country would
be acceptable to many, ram-da!  








 
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