NEW DELHI, Dec 2: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday warned he would curtail draconian powers accorded to India’s million-plus military to stamp out militancy in insurgency-hit north-eastern states.

Mr Singh’s announcement in the Manipur state capital Imphal led to sporadic celebrations in the remote province where rights groups have been spearheading protests against the decades-old Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

“We need to consider some amendments to the Act by modifying its existing provisions or considering new provisions,” Mr Singh said during a trip to the insurgency-riven state.

“It would be made more humane, giving due regard to the protection of basic human and civil rights,” the prime minister told an audience amid applause.

The legislation gives the military the powers to `shoot or arrest without warrant’ in four of the seven north-eastern states, including Manipur, according to provisions of the 1958 law.

Premier Singh said a government committee set up to review the Act has given its verdict.

Women in Manipur are at the forefront of a spirited drive against the Act since 2004, alleging its vast powers are used by the military to rape or kill at will in the state where various groups are fighting for separate homelands.—AFP