Indian government says no decision to withdraw AFSPA

The Indian government on Wednesday said it has not taken any decision to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) as recommended by a high-level official panel.

"On security matters, the government carefully evaluates the situation on ground before taking any decision," junior minister from the Indian home ministry Kiren Rijiju told the upper house of parliament in New Delhi.

Rijiju was replying to a question on whether the government has officially taken a decision on the implementation of the recommendations of Justice B P Jeevan Reddy Committee for the repeal of the controversial law.

AFSPA grants special powers to the Indian armed forces in the states or places which the act describes as "disturbed areas."

The law is currently in force in six states in India's northeast (Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram), and Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Rijiju said the Indian government has been receiving representations from time to time from different states, including Indian-controlled Kashmir, seeking withdrawal of the controversial law.

New Delhi has imposed the law in Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1990. The law gives extraordinary powers to its troops such as shooting a person on mere suspicion.

Indian troops and police have consistently been accused of grave human rights violations in the areas where AFSPA is in force.

Rights activists say New Delhi has rejected all requests to prosecute its troopers under AFSPA allegedly involved in rights abuses. Enditem