Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 15 said his government will take necessary steps to withdraw AFSPA from the entire State by the end of this year.
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is now limited to only eight districts of the northeastern State, he said.
Hoisting the national flag on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day here, Mr. Sarma also said around 8,000 "revolutionaries" have returned to the mainstream in the last three years.