On December 26, 2021, for the first time since the present government came to power in 2014, the Union Home Ministry constituted a panel led by its officers to review the withdrawal of the Armed areas. The Act was amended in 1972 and the powers to declare an area as “disturbed” were conferred concurrently upon the Central Government along with the States. Currently, the MHA issues periodic “disturbed area” notification to extend AFSPA only for Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, where it is applicable in the districts of Tirap, Changlang, Longding and areas falling under Namsai and Mahadevpur police stations bordering Assam. The notification for Manipur and Assam is issued by the State Governments. Tripura revoked the Act in 2015 and Meghalaya was under AFSPA for 27 years, until it was revoked by the MHA from April 1, 2018. The Act was implemented in a 20-km area along the border with Assam. Jammu and Kashmir has a separate J&K Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1990.

Consider the following statements about the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and mark the correct option.

The correct answer is both (A) and (b) are correct.

Step-by-step Explanation:

Let us analyze each statement provided in the options regarding the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA):

1. Statement (A): "detractors and Human rights Organizations, as well as many sections of civil society, argue that the Act often leads to excesses and require checks and balances or could alienate the people instead of integrating them with the main stream."
This statement is historically and politically accurate. Opponents, human rights organizations (such as Amnesty International and HRW), and civil society groups have long criticized AFSPA for granting sweeping powers and immunity to security forces, arguing it causes human rights violations, lacks sufficient accountability mechanisms, and causes alienation among local populations in affected regions.

2. Statement (B): "Irom Chanu Sharmila, an activist from Manipur, became ansensitizing figure symbolizing the protest against AFSPA after she sat on an indefinite fast in 2000, demanding its repeal and ended it only in August 2016."
This statement is also accurate. Known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur," Irom Chanu Sharmila began her famous 16-year hunger strike in November 2000 following the Malom massacre in Manipur. She ended her hunger strike in August 2016.

Since both individual statements (A) and (b) present correct historical and factual facts concerning AFSPA, the combined option stating that both (A) and (b) are correct is the right choice.