Dr Vivek Joshi to chair committee on AFSPA in Nagaland

December 28, 2021 158 Views No Comment

3-month timeframe to submit report

DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 28 (MExN): Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Dr Vivek Joshi will chair the Committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to review the application of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland.

An order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, North East Division, informed that the other members of the committee will include J Alam, Chief Secretary, Nagaland; Lt General PC Nair, Director General, Assam Rifles; T John Longkumer, DGP, Nagaland; MS Tuli, Joint Director, Intelligence Bureau; and Piyush Goyal, Additional Secretary, MHA.

Lt General BS Raju, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) will be a special invitee to the committee.
“The terms of reference of the committee shall be to review the application of AFSPA in Nagaland and make suitable recommendations within a period of 3 months,” stated the order.

At the press conference on December 26, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio announced that the Committee has been given 45 days to submit its report. He also said that the team will be headed by the Additional Secretary, Northeast (NE) Division, MHA. It later emerged that the Committee will be chaired by Dr Vivek Joshi, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1989 batch, Haryana cadre.

As per a state government bureaucrat, the change in chairmanship was likely related to seniority as the incumbent Additional Secretary, NE Division, is junior in rank to the other officers/members from Nagaland. Piyush Goyal, IAS, according to the MHA website, is currently the Additional Secretary of the NE Division and is of the Nagaland cadre, 1994 batch.

Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/dr-vivek-joshi-to-chair-committee-on-afspa-in-nagaland