An official panel set up to review a tough anti-terror law in Manipur Wednesday began eliciting views of NGOs here to enable it draft a humane legislation in place of the existing law.

The five-member committee, looking into the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, will continue the hearing here until Friday, a statement issued by the panel said.

It called upon NGOs as well as "stakeholders" to give their views on the act.

The committee had earlier held a hearing in Manipur, where individuals, civil society groups, legislators and officials gave their opinion about the widely criticised law.

The committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge B.P. Jeevan Reddy, was set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November last year following demands from civil society groups in Manipur to repeal the law that gives sweeping powers to the armed forces to detain and search terror suspects.

Manipur witnessed widespread protests for more than a month after the death of a woman, Manorama Devi, in July last year, allegedly at the hands of the security forces who had detained her for questioning.

The review panel has to submit its report by May this year.