Nagaland civilian death toll climbs to 19; Four more succumb to injuries

Nagaland civilian death toll climbs to 19; Four more succumb to injuries

Four more people injured in protests, which erupted in Mon district of Nagaland following the killing of 15 civilians, succumbed to their injuries. With this, the toll in Nagaland rose to 19, according to Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland and advisor to the Chief Minister.

Earlier on 4 December, a contingent of the Indian Army’s 21 Para Special Forces killed six civilians and injured two others in Mon district while they were returning home in a pick-up van after working at a coal mine. According to official sources, the security forces apparently ‘mistook’ them for militants. Dimapur-based 3 Corps of the army said, the unit was on a counter-insurgency operation in the area following a tip-off on the likely movement of militants belonging to the NSCN (Khaplang).

Later, seven other civilians died after they were shot by that unit at Oting. Two persons succumbed to their injuries on 5 December. The Nagaland Police on its own filed an FIR against the 21st Para Special Force of the Army on Monday. The case was registered under Sections 302/307/34 of the IPC, relating to murder, attempt to murder and criminal act committed by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all.

State Chief minister Neiphiu Rio attended the funeral of the 14 civilians killed by the security forces where he made the demand to repeal AFSPA from Nagaland. “India is the largest democracy and this is a draconian law so, it should be removed from our country. There are many laws that can be handled but this law (AFSPA) has blackened the image of our country,” said Rio.

Meanwhile, a joint report by the state's Director General of Police (DGP) T John Longkumer and Commissioner Rovilatuo Mor has said that the army made no attempt to ascertain the identity of the civilians returning from work on a pick-up truck before shooting them in Nagaland's Mon district on Saturday.

Quoting eyewitnesses, the two top officials have said villagers found the Army's special forces trying to "hide" the bodies of six people by wrapping and loading them on a pick-up van with the intention of taking them to their base camp.

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