Shillong: Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh on Tuesday demanded from the Central government to repeal the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
“AFSPA is not a solution as it has not solved the issue of insurgency in the North East,” Lyngdoh said.
Stating that the recent killing of civilians in Mon district of Nagaland is not directly connected with insurgency, Lyngdoh, who is also the president of the UDP said, “so it’s a clear message that AFSPA has not solved insurgency in this region. There are ways to solve insurgency that can be addressed through dialogue and not bullets.”
Recounting Meghalaya’s anti-insurgency operations that were undertaken by the State Police Department, the UDP Chief appealed for the state machinery to be given the opportunity to handle
the internal crisis.
“We should have faith in our police, they have the personnel, the knowledge, the skills, the language and mobility to enable greater effectiveness,” the UDP president said, underscoring that AFSPA needs to be repealed.
