In the situation prevailing in Manipur, the armed forces believe that they require tough legal provisions to combat the separatists and restore a semblance of order. The security forces in Manipur are tasked primarily to carry out counter-insurgency operations. The Armed Forces (Assam & Manipur) Special Powers Act, 1958 gives them sweeping powers to deal with the ‘enemy’.

This legislation has been in force in Manipur since 1980, and  empowers “any commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer, or any other person of equivalent rank in the armed forces,â€