Ethnic groups in India's north-east have long opposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) - a controversial federal law that gives the army sweeping powers, including protection from prosecution for soldiers who mistakenly kill civilians. The law has been blamed for "fake killings" and campaigners say it is often misused. The call to repeal the AFSPA was echoed by rights body Human Rights Watch, and the chief ministers of Nagaland and nearby Meghalaya state. Even leaders of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is also a coalition partner in the Nagaland government, agree. "Security forces are meant to protect humans. We want to tell India's home minister Mr Shah that this draconian AFSPA law is unprofessional, based on unprofessional intelligence inputs and a total failure," said Hosea Konyak, a senior BJP leader from Mon district.
Nitin Srivastava, ‘Nagaland killings: Anger grows after Indian army’s botched ambush’, BBC
