A committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry in December to study the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA from Nagaland, slated to submit a report within 45-days as claimed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, is yet to conclude its findings.
The panel was formed in the wake of a growing civilian anger against the botched ambush by an elite armed forces unit that led to the killing of 13 civilians at Oting in Nagaland’s Mon district on December 4.
The six-member committee headed by the Registrar General of India (RGI) Vivek Joshi made a solitary visit to the State in January. Though Mr. Rio claimed on December 26 that the panel has 45-days (by February 9) to submit the report, the Home Ministry’s order accessed by The Hindu says the committee is to make “suitable recommendations” within three months (March 26).
