Massive protest in Kohima over deaths in Nagaland, call for non-cooperation
The Naga Students Federation held a huge rally in Kohima, where thousands of people took to the streets to demand justice for the 14 victims and the abolition of AFSPA.
A massive protest against the killing of 14 civilians in Nagaland’s remote Mon district earlier this month – during and after the army’s counter-insurgency operation – which went horribly wrong – has now spread to the state capital, Kohima.
The influential Naga Students Federation (NSF) has organized a mass rally in the city, with thousands of people taking to the streets to demand justice for the dead and the repeal of the controversial AFSPA, or Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
Protesters lined up with banners and placards reading, “How many shots should be fired before the AFSPA is revoked”, “AFSPA nurtures the devil in Indian forces” and “Ban AFSPA, not our voice”.
Today’s meeting is significant because it marks the third day in a row of protests, but it does indicate a growing dissatisfaction among the Nagas.
What started as a ‘non-cooperation movement’ in Som on Monday by the Konyak Sangha (the apex body of the Konyak Naga tribe) escalated into a fight with the East Nagaland People’s Organization on Wednesday.
Like the Kanyak Sangh, the ENPO has vowed to “abstain from any national celebration”, “not to participate in military civilian programs” and has said it will not allow recruitment drive in the region.
Those protests intensified yesterday in the eastern part of the state – Mon District was closed from dawn to dusk, government and private offices were closed and traffic was disrupted.
In addition to the Mon district, there have been protests in Kifire, Tuensang, Noklak and Longleng districts in the eastern part of the state, where shops were closed and angry residents flooded the streets.
Protests across the state have highlighted the immediate arrest of soldiers involved in the failed military operation as one of their demands. He also demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah withdraw his “false” and “fabricated” statements made in Parliament on December 6.
Mr Shah said the army unit fired when the truck carrying the villagers was ordered to stop. Raising suspicions of insurgent activity, soldiers opened fire, he said. The remarks sparked more protests on Monday, with people burning Mr Shah’s effigy.
Somehow, in the initial eruption of the deadly fire, six villagers died.
No weapons or ammunition were recovered from them or from the truck, and everyone in the vehicle was identified as a coal miner. Eight more villagers and one soldier were killed in the violence over the next 48 hours.
The army has apologized for the killings and an internal investigation, led by an officer of the rank of Major-General, is underway, with police filing a murder case against the soldiers involved.
The killings reorganized the AFSPA, which empowers military personnel in “troubled areas”. Protesters fear it could be used to protect troops involved.
The NSF today sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form a court-supervised committee headed by a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge to ensure an independent and impartial inquiry.
The memorandum said, “The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Nagaland government to investigate the December 4 incident will not do justice to the intentional actions of the Indian Armed Forces under the repressive AFSPA.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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