Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 is a law that provides armed forces the power to maintain public order in ?disturbed areas?. Armed personnel are authorized to ban a gathering of five or more persons in an area, use force or even open fire after warning. It also allows warrant-less arrests and raids by the Army based on reasonable suspicion.
Under section 3 of AFSPA, a region can be declared as a disturbed area if it is facing crisis because of disputes between different factions. The Assam Government has recently declared the entire state as ?disturbed area? for another six months in response to insurgent activities in the state.