Guwahati: Following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s address address in the parliament on the death of 14 civilians in a botched Army operation in Nagaland, the Naga tribe that most of those killed belonged to has issued a five-point memorandum of demands relating to swift and strict action against responsible defence personnel and taking back special powers granted to the Army and security forces in the state.
The Konyak Union, the apex body of the Konyak Naga Tribe from the Mon district of Nagaland where the incident took place, has sent a memorandum of demands to the government.
The first demand is to immediately set up an independent inquiry committee under a competent investigating agency. The body has also demanded that two members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that the government has constituted to probe the incident must be from Naga civil society.
The Union has demanded that all Army personnel involved must be booked and punished under law of the land and that details of action taken against Army personnel be put out in the public domain within 30 days.
They have also demanded the immediate withdrawal of Assam Rifles from the Mon district and repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or, AFSPA, from the entire Northeast of India.
“Government of India expresses regrets over the incident and condolences to those killed… an SIT has been formed and has been directed to complete investigation in a month. The situation is tense but under control. All agencies have to ensure such incidents do not happen in the future,” Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha today.
Amit Shah did not clarify if the centre planned to give permission to prosecute those members of the armed forces – protected under AFSPA – involved in the killings.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and his counterpart in Meghalaya Conrad Sangma have also demanded the repeal of AFSPA.
AFSPA has been in force in Nagaland and parts of the northeast for several decades. Under this legislation, security forces can conduct operations anywhere where the law is in effect and arrest without prior warrants.
With inputs from NDTV
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