Nagaland: 14 civilians die in Army firing, area tense

Kohima Protests erupted on Sunday after more than a dozen civilians were killed by Indian Army soldiers who appeared to have mistaken them for militants in Nagaland’s Mon district, according to officials.

Thirteen civilians were killed in an ambush by the army late on Saturday and a jawan died in retaliation by locals in the district, a police officer said on condition of anonymity. On Sunday, angry villagers burned army vehicles and threw stones at a security camp in the district, about 300km from the state capital, Kohima. A civilian died and a few others were injured when security personnel opened fire at a mob that vandalised the 27th Assam Rifles camp.

Union home minister Amit Shah expressed “deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives” and said a high-level special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the state government will probe the incident to ensure justice. Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio ordered the probe into the killings earlier and said the incident was “highly condemnable”.

The Mon district administration imposed a curfew in the town and prohibited movement of all non-essential vehicles in the district. Entry into the district was also prohibited and mobile internet services were suspended in the region, a district official said.

An Indian army statement said it “deeply regretted” the incident and its aftermath, adding that “the cause of the unfortunate loss of lives is being investigated at the highest level and appropriate action will be taken as per the course of law.” It said “credible intelligence” on insurgent movements indicated that a “specific operation was planned” in Mon district in Nagaland.

Indian Army personnel opened fired at a truck carrying local coal miners to Oting village from Tiru late on Saturday evening, a police officer said, asking not to be named. The army was conducting an operation in the area after receiving inputs on the possible movement of militants of Yung Aung faction of the proscribed outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K), the officer said. Mon shares a porous international border with Myanmar, where the Yung Aung faction of the NSCN(K) is based.

Another officer said the pick-up truck was ferrying Oting villagers who were working in a coal field near Tiru. Coal miners usually return home on Saturday and report back to work on Monday, the official added.

An army officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said soldiers fired at the truck after receiving intelligence about the movement of militants, killing seven people. After angry villagers set fire to two army vehicles, the soldiers fired at them, killing six more civilians, the officer added. The police said a jawan lost his life in the attack by angry villagers.

“The security forces have suffered severe injuries in the incident, including one soldier who succumbed to the injuries,” the headquarters of 3 Corps, the army unit conducting the operation, said.

The bodies and those injured were shifted to the Mon district headquarters.

Arson was reported from different parts of the district on Sunday in which two government vehicles were burnt, and protest marches were held. The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), the apex body of six Naga tribes of five districts including Mon, directed locals not to participate in the Hornbill Festival, the state’s biggest such even that began last week.

On Sunday evening, a police officer said a case of murder was registered against unnamed army personnel and locals.

Nagaland home commissioner Abhijit Sinha said Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was imposed in Mon district and internet services suspended there “till further orders”. The local police were conducting a flag march in the area to prevent any other untoward incident, he added.

The Nagaland chief minister appealed to all sections of the society to maintain peace as he returned to Kohima from New Delhi after the incident. “The unfortunate incident leading to killing of civilians at Oting, Mon is highly condemnable. Condolences to the bereaved families & speedy recovery of those injured. High level SIT will investigate & justice delivered as per the law of the land. Appeal for peace from all sections,” he tweeted.

The ENPO condemned the “barbaric act”. It requested all its six (Konyak, Khiamniungan, Phom, Sangtam, Yimkhiung and Chang) tribes to abstain from participating in the ongoing Hornbill Festival with immediate effect till the funeral rites of the deceased were completed, and directed them to hoist black flags at their morungs (traditional huts) at the main festival site.

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