New Delhi/Imphal: The Union Home Ministry on Friday extended the applicability of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in parts of Manipur for a further six months, keeping in place the existing list of areas designated as "disturbed" and excluding 13 police stations across five districts from the declaration. The renewed notification will be effective from 1 October 2026 and remain in force until 31 March 2027, according to the Gazette circulation reported by news agencies.
Scope of the extension and excluded areas
The Home Ministry's order retains the status quo on the districts and police station jurisdictions covered by AFSPA in the state, while carving out specific urban and peri-urban police stations from the disturbed-area tag. The police stations excluded from the AFSPA declaration are located in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts.
| District | Police stations excluded |
|---|---|
| Imphal West | Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Patsoi, Wangoi |
| Imphal East | Porompat, Heingang, Irilbung |
| Thoubal | Thoubal |
| Bishnupur | Bishnupur, Nambol |
| Kakching | Kakching |
What AFSPA permits
The notification reiterates the central Government's classification of regions as disturbed under Section 3 of the Act. AFSPA confers special powers on the security forces operating in areas so declared. As described in the notification and prior government explanations:
- Search, seizure and arrest by security personnel without a warrant.
- Use of force, including lethal force, against persons violating law and order.
- Authority to enter and search premises, and to restrict movement where necessary to maintain public order.
"AFSPA gives the armed forces deployed in areas declared as 'disturbed', powers to search, seize and arrest without a warrant, and to also use lethal force against law-breakers."
Context: ongoing unrest and regional coverage
The extension comes against a backdrop of prolonged unrest in Manipur since mid-2023. Reports by national agencies and human-rights organisations cited in recent media coverage note continuing ethnic clashes, armed incidents and movement of displaced persons. The Centre has retained the disturbed-area declarations for parts of neighbouring Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh as well, with a separate notification extending AFSPA there until the end of March 2027.
For Nagaland, the Home Ministry's latest order retains nine districts — including Dimapur, Mon and Phek — and identifies 21 police-station jurisdictions across other districts as disturbed. The scope and list in each state remain as in the previous notification, the Gazette entries show.
Political and administrative implications
The continuation of AFSPA carries both operational and political significance. Administratively, the order allows central and state security forces to continue operations under the statutory framework laid down in the Act. Politically, AFSPA extensions routinely provoke debate over civil liberties, accountability and the efficacy of military powers in resolving underlying social and ethnic conflicts.
State authorities and Union agencies have, in past communications, described AFSPA as a measure to restore and maintain order in areas where civilian policing is judged insufficient. Critics — including civil-society groups and some political representatives — have urged review of the disturbed-area notifications and called for a roadmap to normalise governance without extraordinary powers.
What remains known and what is not
The Gazette notification gives the legal basis for the extension but does not include operational details about troop deployments, specific rules of engagement or the timetable for any review. The order mirrors the previous period's geographic coverage, signalling no immediate change to the official approach in the affected areas.
Further developments — including any change in the disturbed-area list before the March 2027 expiry, or announcements relating to rehabilitation and relief for displaced populations — would depend on assessments by the Union Home Ministry and the Manipur government, the notification indicates.
Reporting agencies cited the Gazette notification and statements from the Home Ministry in their coverage of the extension.
