On Saturday, 14 villagers and a soldier died in Nagaland’s Mon district after an Army op to track down insurgents went off script. A police FIR has said the Army’s 21 Para Special Forces “blankly opened fire”.
Kohima: Amid outrage over the wrongful killing of 14 civilians in a failed military operation against insurgents, the Nagaland government to write to the Center to call for the repeal of the Special Powers of the Armed Forces Act (AFSPA) , a law which gives broad powers to the army in troubled regions.
Nagaland will also cancel the Hornbill Festival, an annual event that attracts thousands of domestic and foreign tourists. Today was day six of the 10 day event.
The decisions were taken at an “urgent meeting” of the Nagaland cabinet.
Nagaland Prime Minister Neiphiu Rio said yesterday that AFSPA should be scrapped as it caused unrest and pain in his condition.
Speaking at the funerals of those killed, he called the law a black spot on the country’s image. The AFSPA allows the military to arrest civilians without an arrest warrant, to raid homes and even kill people. But there is no action against the security forces.
They have created a situation of public order ”, declared the Prime Minister. The remarks were significant from Mr. Rio, a BJP ally and member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Meghalaya Prime Minister Conrad Sangma, another BJP ally, echoed the vision On Saturday 14 villagers and a soldier died in the Mon district of Nagaland after an army operation to track down insurgents n did not work.
Union Home Secretary Amit Shah in a statement to parliament yesterday expressed regret over the incident and said it was an identity swap. arrest without warrant and opening fire in areas declared “disturbed”. The controversial law is in effect in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding seven Imphal Assembly constituencies) and parts of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as Jammu and Kashmir.
Tripura and parts of the Meghalaya have been removed from the list. Under AFSPA, forces can stop or shoot to kill on suspicion. AFSPA also protects the security forces from prosecution if they are not authorized by the center. In the context of the violence and killings in Nagaland, there are concerns that the center is suing the law to protect the elite army’s 21 Para special forces from investigation.
Nagaland police have filed a murder complaint against the army unit, accusing the troops of “intent to murder.”
