Assam Likely to be AFSPA-Free by Next Year: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday expressed confidence that Assam would be ready for the complete withdrawal of AFSPA by next year. He said the law currently remains in force only in Tinsukia and Charaideo districts.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Sarma also announced that premature repatriation requests of IAS and other All India Service officers will now require Cabinet approval instead of the Chief Minister’s approval alone.

The Chief Minister voiced concern over recent corruption cases involving senior officers, saying such incidents damage public trust in the bureaucracy and undermine years of investment in training civil servants.

On the Assamese language debate, Sarma said a language should survive through actual usage in homes and society, not merely through census numbers. He asserted that Assamese faces no existential threat and will continue to thrive through the commitment of its speakers.