Guwahati, March 27: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has withdrawn the “disturbed area” tag from Dibrugarh, bringing an end to the enforcement of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the district, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Thursday.

"Since we envisioned making Dibrugarh the second capital of Assam, we requested the Centre to revoke AFSPA. Now, the Act has officially been lifted from the district," Sarma said after a cabinet meeting.

In 2025, four districts—Charaideo, Sivasagar, Tinsukia, and Dibrugarh—were designated as “disturbed areas” under AFSPA. With the latest revocation, only three remain under the controversial law.

"We are confident that in the coming days, we will also be able to remove the ‘disturbed area’ tag from the remaining three districts,” the Chief Minister added.

AFSPA, which grants sweeping powers to security forces, was first imposed in Assam in November 1990 and had been extended every six months.

In recent years, however, the law has been gradually rolled back, with Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao removed from its purview in 2024.

Sarma also announced that Japan has downgraded its travel advisory for Assam from Level 2 to Level 1, making it the second country after Australia to take such a step in recent times.

"Japan acknowledged that with militancy subsiding in most districts, the security situation has improved, leading to this revision," he said, reading from the official notification issued by the Japanese government.

He added that India as a whole is classified under Level 1, where travellers are advised to remain "cautious".

The Chief Minister further stated that Assam is in talks with New Zealand to secure a similar downgrade, reinforcing the state’s growing image as a safer destination for international travellers.