Nagaland: The families of the 14 civilians who lost their lives in the recent firing by the Indian army’s Assam Rifles in Oting village of Nagaland’s Mon district have refused any government compensation until the personnel involved are brought to justice.
The Oting Village Council said that on December 5 when the locals were busy with funeral arrangements and other works in the aftermath of the killings, Rs 18.30 lakh was given by state minister P Paiwang Konyak and the district’s Deputy Commissioner, a report by PTI said quoting the Council statement.
At first, they assumed it to be a “token of love and gift” from the minister but later learned it was an installment of the ex gratia from the state government for the families of those killed and injured, it said.
The statement added, “The Oting Village Council and victim families will not receive it until and unless the culprit of 21st Para Commandos of the Indian Armed Forces are brought to justice before the Civil code of law and repeal of Armed Force Special Power Act (AFSPA) from the entire North Eastern region”.
The statement, issued on Sunday, was signed by Village Council chairman Longwang Konyak, Angh (‘king’) Tahwang, Deputy Angh Chingwang and Gaon Burahs (village chieftains) of Mongnei and Nyanei, the report said.
At least 14 civilians were killed by the Indian armed forces personnel last week in the district, the officials had said. The report quoting villagers claims that the “attempt was made to pass dead off as militants”.
Pertinently, Assam’s Jorhat administration on Wednesday prevented Congress general secretaries Jitendra Singh and Ajoy Kumar along with MP Gaurav Gogoi from visiting Nagaland citing the “sensitive situation on Assam-Nagaland border areas and apprehension of breach of peace and tranquility in the border areas of Jorhat”.
An official statement made by the Government on Monday had said that “based on inputs received by the Indian Army about the movement of the insurgents near Tiru village in Mon district, a team of para-commandos laid an ambush on Saturday, during which, a vehicle approached the location and it was signaled to stop.”
“However, the vehicle tried to flee, following which the vehicle, suspected of carrying insurgents, was fired upon resulting in the killing of 6 out of 8 persons traveling in the vehicle. However, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.”
The Oting villagers through a statement related that “on the fateful evening of 4th December 2021, around 3:30 PM, one pick-up truck loaded with 8 Coal miners were returning from (a) mining site as next day was Sunday, which we the Christians consider a day of rest. Around 4:30 pm, the armed forces ambushed that very pick-up truck without ascertaining anything about the passengers.”
The Indian armed forces then “blocked the road for all traffic and diverted all vehicles to the less frequented old Pioneer road. Meanwhile, villagers were anxiously waiting for the pick-up truck to reach the village, for they learned that there was a shootout” on that stretch, the report said quoting the Oting Citizens’ body.
The Oting Citizens Office claimed that around 8:00 PM, the villagers went searching and found the empty pick-up truck, “with the bullet mark piercing through the windshield exactly at the driver’s position, bloodstains covered with dust and mud, and the boys missing from the vehicle.
“The pierced windshield in the front by bullets clearly indicates that they first shot the driver of the pick-up truck to (bring it to a ) halt and ambushed the remaining point-blank,” the statement said.
The villagers claimed they chased three fleeing vehicles used by the armed forces on motorcycles and intercepted them.
Though armed forces denied any knowledge of the missing boys, a search found six of the missing miners under a tarpaulin.
These boys were half-dressed and lying dead, the report said further.
The Oting Citizens accused the armed forces of India of attempting “to brand the boys as militants by planting weapons and dressing them in camouflage uniforms and boots.”
Soon after the heated argument between armed forces and villagers broke out and turned into physical scuffles.
The armed forces, according to the villagers, “started firing indiscriminately, abruptly killing and injuring few others on the spot.”
“We may be small and tiny in area and population, yet we are ready to compromise with the situation to lose our heads and take the enemy’s heads. For we are warriors by blood and origin, and no force can intimidate us,” the news agency report said further quoting the statement.
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