Improved law and order, peace accords with militant outfits led to partial withdrawal of AFSPA in Assam: Amit Shah 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that improved law and order situation and  peace accords with militant outfits during the last six years has led to the partial  withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in Assam and he was confident that it will be revoked soon from the entire state.
       Shah, after presenting the President’s Colours to the Assam Police, said in his address that due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma most of the militant outfits have entered into peace agreements with their cadres surrendering with arms and the ”day is not far when the entire state will be completely free from insurgency and violence’’.
      ”The AFSPA has been revoked from 23 districts and partially from one district. I am confident that it will be completely withdrawn from the entire state soon.  The Act was extended 60 times in the state since 1990 but ‘’now instead of special laws, youths can look forward to development and a bright future’’, Shah added.
      The surrendered youths who have returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the central and state governments and they will participate in the development journey of the state, Shah said.
       He said that accords were signed with all four factions of the NDFB and militant outfits in Karbi Anglong, with 274 cases against 427 cadres withdrawn by the state government.
     Assam police has a glorious history and has successfully tackled insurgency, border issues, smuggling of arms, drugs and cattle, rhino poaching and social issues like witchcraft to emerge as one of the foremost police forces of the country, the Union Minister said.
     ”The Assam Police rightly deserves to be honoured with the President’s Colours and I, as the home minister, am very proud of the force”, he said.

      Highlighting the history and the achievements of the state police force, the Union home minister said that at the time of independence there were only 8000 personnel but this has increased to 70,000 now.
       ‘’The force has successfully dealt with partition, the communal clashes that followed, refugee problems, infiltration, Bangladesh liberation war and challenged the problem of insurgency for over three decades’’, he said.
         Assam Police has tackled banned organizations like ULFA, NDFB, NSCN and other outfits within the constitutional framework and under the Unified Command has helped the army effectively to ensure both border and internal security, Shah added.
        The Minister said that the state government has embarked on the path of modernization of the state police by ensuring infrastructural development of the police stations, procurement of vehicles and weapons, setting up of the police cyber dome, filling up of vacant posts and setting up of five new commando battalions.  
       Shah presented the honour to the state police in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta at the ‘Alankaran Parade’ ceremony held at the Nehru Stadium here..
      The flag is engraved with Assam’s map with 36 stars representing the districts of the state, a one-horned rhino and the insignia of Assam Police with the motto ‘Janahitjanaswarthe’ (for people’s welfare and interest) 
       Three Sattradhikars (Vaishnav head monasteries called sattras) of Garmur’s Haridev Goswami, Borduwa’s Debananda Goswami and Dinjoy sattra’s Mukunda Chandra Goswami blessed the flag before the presentation. 
       Shah inspected a guard of honour before the presentation.
       Assam is the tenth state in the country to receive the honour. 
       President’s Colour is the highest honour to be given to any military or police unit in recognition of exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and war.