Q1. What is AFSPA?

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of India that grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in which each act terms "disturbed area". 

Q2. Why is Afspa important?

AFSPA was implemented in the Kashmir amid increase in the insurgency in 1990. In simple terms, AFSPA is a law which gives immense powers to armed forces to maintain the rule of law in the“disturbed areas”. Under this law the armed forces have the authority to prohibit gathering of five or more persons in an area.

Q3What’s the origin of AFSPA?


The Act came into force in the context of increasing violence in the Northeastern States decades ago, which the State governments found difficult to control. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Bill was passed by both the Houses of Parliament and it was approved by the President on September 11, 1958. It became known as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958.

Q4. Which States are, or had come under this Act?





It is effective in the whole of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding seven assembly constituencies of Imphal) and parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The Centre revoked it in Meghalaya on April 1, 2018. Earlier, the AFSPA was effective in a 20 km area along the Assam-Meghalaya border. In Arunachal Pradesh, the impact of AFSPA was reduced to eight police stations instead of 16 police stations and in Tirap, Longding and Changlang districts bordering Assam. Tripura withdrew the AFSPA in 2015. Jammu and Kashmir too has a similar Act.