File picture of an anti-army act rally in Imphal

Itanagar, April 25: Anti- army cries that constantly rent the air in Manipur resonated in Arunachal Pradesh today.

The All Arunachal Students’ Union protested against the Centre’s decision to impose the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act on the entire state.

The act is currently in place in two districts, Tirap and Changlang.

In a statement, the student’s organisation said the decision only exposed the dictatorial face of the Centre. The decision has been condemned by all sections of society.

Kanu Baggang, president of the students’ union, said the people of Arunachal Pradesh would not accept “unnecessary imposition” of the army act.

The release termed the act as “draconian in nature”, saying there were other means to tackle the law and order situation in the state.

The act has been opposed by the International Human Rights Commission, National Human Rights Commission, political parties and civil society, it said.

Right activists and social organisations in Manipur have long been demanding repeal of the army act from that state. The protests reached fever pitch in Manipur after the alleged rape and murder of Thanjam Manorama by security forces in 2004.

The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly passed a resolution for repeal of the army act from Tirap and Changlang during the last Assembly session on March 9.

The Arunachal Citizens’ Right (ACR), too, has opposed the Centre’s move.

“Such arbitrary decision will not only invite gross and systematic violation of indigenous people’s rights but it will also curtail the popular democratic set up of the country,” it stated.

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 empowers the army and paramilitary forces to arrest, search and even kill civilians on suspicion and provides immunity from legal action unless prior sanction is obtained from the Union government.

However, unless an area is declared “disturbed” under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, the central security forces cannot come to the aid of the civil administration.

In the original version of the army act, only the state governments have the power to declare an area as “disturbed”, as the “law and order” clause was then under the state list.

The 1972 amendment took away the power from the state government and handed it over to the governor — an appointee of the Centre.

Under the army act, the Centre subsumes the powers of the state government to declare certain parts or whole of a state or a Union Territory under “emergency” without having to resort to Article 356 of the Constitution, which lays down strict guidelines for declaration of public emergency in a state.