(1) Insurgency has gone down considerably in all states in the North-East since the peak of two decades ago; in some it is down to zero. While this would be a personally felt experience for residents of those states, news of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act being withdrawn completely from Meghalaya and some areas of Arunachal Pradesh on Monday gave a fresh reminder of the often neglected states to the rest of the country. However it may be remembered (2) sombrely that the harsh law that protects security forces from legal action against actions performed in the course of duty continues to be in force in most of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur.
The Act was withdrawn from all of Tripura in 2015, where, according to most accounts, insurgency has been wiped out entirely. But that is a situation that has been reached, and now maintained, after a period of the state police carrying out whatever anti-militancy operations were required. That should be an example for many other disturbed areas in the country. As the police comprise local (3) constabulary, and are answerable to an elected state govt, their actions are (4) liable to be more (5) restrained as well as (6) nuanced, using local intelligence. What is a fact, and must readily be acknowledged by all (7) stakeholders, is that there have been excesses by security forces that have gone unaddressed.
A point was made in a conference of the Army Brass in J&K last week that priority must be accorded to (8) ushering in peace by conducting counter-terrorist operations in a manner that minimizes collateral damage. AFSPA in the state is particularly resented for the freedom it accords to the security forces. The law at best is useful (9) in the short run to handle an intense disturbance. Beyond a point, it is likely to turn counter-productive. The (10) sagacity of a government lies in identifying that point.
1. INSURGENCY (noun)=विद्रोह
Meaning: an active revolt or uprising.
Synonyms: insurrection, mutiny, outbreak, rebellion, revolt, revolution, sedition, treachery, treason, subversion.
Antonyms: counterinsurgency, counterrevolution, submission, peace, obedience.
2. SOMBRELY (adverb)= गंभीरता या धुंधला मार्ग
Meaning: in a serious or gloomy way.
Synonyms: darksome, dusky, gloomy, murky, obscurely, pitchy, shadowy, shady
Cloudy, foggy, misty, smoggy, soupy.
Antonyms: brightly, brilliantly, illuminated, lighted, lightsome, lucent, lucidly, luminously.
3. CONSTABULARY (noun)=पुलिस बल
Meaning: a police force covering a particular area or city.
Synonyms: police, police force, constable, cop, gendarme, officer, policeman, police officer, trooper.
Antonyms: perpetrator, bandit, defalcator, larcener, mobster, lawbreaker, pillager, ravager.
4. LIABLE (adjective)=उत्तरदायी
Meaning: likely to do or to be something.
Synonyms: likely, inclined, tending, disposed, apt, predisposed, prone, given, open, subjected, susceptible.
Antonyms: guarded, protected, safeguarded, screened, secured, sheltered, shielded, warded, invulnerable, unexposed, unsusceptible.
5. RESTRAINED (adjective)=स्र्द्ध
Meaning: characterized by reserve or moderation; unemotional or dispassionate.
Synonyms: self-controlled, moderate, not given to excesses, sober, steady, phlegmatic, unemotional, inhibited, unassuming, quiet, calm, thoughtful, reticent, discreet.
Antonyms: liberated, loosen, unleashed, emancipated, discharged.
6. NUANCED (adjective) =कोमलता
Meaning: satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness
Synonyms: airy, dainty, delicate, exquisite, refined, subtle, elegant, extraordinary, incomparable
Antonyms: ordinary, average, indifferent, mediocre, medium, middling, run-of-the-mill, robust, strong, sturdy.
7. STAKEHOLDER (noun)=हितधारक
Meaning: an independent party with whom each of those who make a wager deposits the money or counters wagered.
Synonyms: stockholder, shareholder, partaker, proponent, participant, supporter, accomplice, partner.
Antonyms: arbiter, intermediate, third party, arbitrator, middleman.
8. USHER (verb) =प्रवेशक
Meaning: show or guide (someone) somewhere.
Synonyms: escort, accompany, help, assist, conduct, guide, steer, direct, lead.
Antonyms: follow, trail.
9. IN THE SHORT RUN (phrase)=निकट भविष्य में
Meaning: in the near future.
10. SAGACITY (noun)=बुद्धिमत्ता
Meaning: the ability to understand inner qualities or relationships
Synonyms: discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, sagaciousness, sapience, wisdom
acuity, acumen.
Antonyms: folly, foolishness, idiocy, imbecility, mindlessness, silliness, simplemindedness, stupidity, witlessness, illogic, irrationality.
IMPORTANT GA FACTS BASED ON ABOVE ARTICLE:
The origin of AFSPA:
1. The Act came into force in the context of increasing violence in the Northeastern States decades ago, which the State governments found difficult to control. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Bill was passed by both the Houses of Parliament and it was approved by the President on September 11, 1958. It became known as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958.
2. It is effective in the whole of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding seven assembly constituencies of Imphal) and parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The Centre revoked it in Meghalaya on April 1, 2018. Earlier, the AFSPA was effective in a 20 km area along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
3. Tripura withdrew the AFSPA in 2015. Jammu and Kashmir too has a similar Act.
4. Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of India that grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in what each act terms “disturbed areas’’. The Central Government, or the Governor of the State or administrator of the Union Territory can declare the whole or part of the State or Union Territory as a disturbed area. A suitable notification would have to be made in the Official Gazette. As per Section 3 , it can be invoked in places where “the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary”.
5. Manipur’s Irom Sharmila has been one if its staunchest opponents, going on a hunger strike in November 2000 and continuing her vigil till August 2016. Her trigger was an incident in the town of Malom in Manipur, where ten people were killed waiting at a bus stop.
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