Armed Forces Act extended in Manipur

IMPHAL, May 30 ? Manipur Government has decided to extend the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 for another year from June 1 in view of the deteriorating law-and-order situation, official sources said today, reports PTI. The State Cabinet which met yesterday decided to continue with the ?disturbed area? status of the State by extending the Act which had been first imposed in the State on September 8, 1980, the sources said. Since then, the Act had been extended from time to time to deal with armed insurgents operating in the State and the last two-year extension, made during the rule of Nipamacha Singh Government in 2000, expires tomorrow, the sources said. The Government would also intensify efforts to solve the insurgency problem in the State besides stepping up security measures to bring normalcy in the region, the sources said. It may be recalled that on several occasions earlier, Chief Minister Ibobi Singh had announced that the Act would be withdrawn from the State in a phased manner.

Meanwhile, a constituent of the ruling six-party Secular Progressive Front (SPF) ? Democratic People?s Party (DPP) which had joined the front on the condition of ending extension of the Act, will review its continuance in the front, DPP sources said. The DPP politburo will meet very soon to discuss the merits and demerits of the Cabinet decision, party sources said. It would also decide the future line of action to be taken by the party. DPP had earlier said that continuance of the Act in the State would violate human rights as security forces deployed under the Act, misused the provisions and harassed innocent civilians in the name of tracking down militants.