The latest notification follows repeated six-month extensions of AFSPA amid continuing security concerns in Manipur, while selected areas of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching remain exempt.
BY PC Bureau
NEW DELHI, September 25: The Ministry of Home Affairs has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) across most of Manipur, declaring the entire state a “disturbed area” except areas under 13 specified police stations in five valley districts.
The fresh notification, issued on September 25 and effective from October 1, 2026, will remain in force for six months unless withdrawn earlier. The Centre said the decision followed a review of the law-and-order situation in the state.
The 13 police-station areas excluded from the notification are in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching. The latest order therefore broadly retains the geographical arrangement under which AFSPA applies to most of Manipur while several valley jurisdictions remain outside its ambit.
AFSPA empowers armed forces in notified disturbed areas to make arrests without warrant in specified circumstances, conduct searches and use force, including lethal force, subject to the conditions laid down in the Act. The law also provides protection against prosecution for acts done under the Act without prior sanction of the Central Government.
Repeated extensions
The latest decision continues a pattern of six-month extensions and follows the Centre’s March 2026 notification covering most of the state. The MHA’s records show repeated notifications declaring areas of Manipur “disturbed” under Section 3 of AFSPA.
The geographical scope of AFSPA in Manipur has changed several times over the years. The Centre had progressively withdrawn the Act from parts of the Imphal Valley before the security situation deteriorated sharply after the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023.
The conflict between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities led to large-scale killings and displacement and transformed the security situation across the state. The violence also resulted in the deployment of large numbers of central security forces and the emergence of heavily secured buffer areas separating communities.
AFSPA was subsequently reimposed in additional areas as violence spread, including following the escalation in Jiribam in 2024. The Centre has since maintained the Act over most of the state while leaving selected police-station jurisdictions outside its operation.
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President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur in February 2025 following the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. An elected government returned in 2026, but the Centre has continued to maintain AFSPA over most of the state.
The latest notification means that AFSPA will remain in force across most of Manipur until March 31, 2027, unless the Centre withdraws it earlier.
The next review will determine whether the geographical area covered by the Act is reduced, retained or expanded when the six-month period expires.
