Another panelist Palash Changmai of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad warned that the people of Northeast would not tolerate atrocities anymore. He urged all the north-eastern chief ministers to come together to seek repeal of AFSPA. Political analyst Adip
Phukan also asked the Centre about the validity of AFSPA, which is now 63 years old. How long it will be enforced in Northeast to terrorise and kill innocent people with full impunity to the security personnel, Phukan raised the pertinent question in the show.
“The 21 Para Commandos carried out the genocide was not because of a mistaken identity, but it was an intentional act, reasons best known to the security forces. When the first batch of victims were returning home from their work, the security personnel, who laid the ambush, did not ask to stop their vehicle, but started firing indiscriminately,” said a Kohima-based journalist, who wanted anonymity.
Speaking to this writer, he even alleged that initially the security personnel tried to cover up the dead bodies with camouflage dresses, but the villagers who had already arrived at the location immediately identified the victims. They also engaged in verbal confrontation
with the security personnel. It led to the unfortunate killings of seven more persons and injuring a few others.
“21 Para Commandos were not familiar with the localities and its residents. But they probably did not inform the Nagaland police and even the Assam Rifles (which is engaged in security duty in those areas) about the ambush. In haste, they fired at the vehicle following their inputs (which was seemingly not accurate). But later the Assam Rifles’ camp had to face the villagers’ anger. All these facts should be out in the probe,” he asserted.
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC , New Delhi) issued notices seeking a detailed report from the defence secretary & Union home secretary and Nagaland chief secretary & police chief over the killings of civilians in the Mon army operation. The incident
triggered several other events of arson, rioting and attack on soldiers and Assam Rifles camp, resulting in more injuries and deaths, including that of one soldier, said a NHRC statement. Later the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (ACHR) also
issued a statement over the Nagaland incident, where it meant that the special unit (of security forces) involved in the operation killed the unarmed civilians returning from work in cold blood flouting the standard operating procedures. They opened fire without any warning (to the passengers travelling in the vehicle), it observed. “When the kith and kin of the miners set out to look for them once they did not return in time, the second round of gory killings unfolded. As reported by media houses, when the villagers spotted the vehicles of the unit, they were told that they were being taken to hospital. On checking themselves, the villagers found dead bodies and it was there that all hell broke loose, ending in a repeat firing and killing of a soldier,” said ACHR.
