Aghast by the horrifying killing of 15 individuals, including one soldier in Nagaland’s Mon district in the last two days, locals on Monday took out a candlelight vigil at Kohima in solidarity with the deceased.
The citizens of Nagaland are anguished by an incident, where the Indian army gunned down workers of a coal mine after mistaking them for militants of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) group.
Earlier in the day, various human rights and student groups from Nagaland held a candlelight vigil at Nagaland house in Delhi .
An anti-insurgency operation by the Assam Rifles went amiss on Saturday, where six individuals were killed in an ambush in a stretch between the villages of Tiru and Oting in Nagaland’s Mon district. After the incident, an angry mob of civilians reportedly vendalised the army outpost, set fire to some buildings and attacked the armed soldiers, after which the officers opened fire, killing seven others.
Since then, a curfew has been imposed in Mon district by the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio-led government as tensions continue. Nagaland citizens, anguished by the actions of the armed forces, have demanded immediate action against the officials concerned.
The Nagaland government has launched a probe in the matter by forming ‘high-level’ SIT, with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio & Home Minister expressing ‘deep regrets’ on the tragedy. The Indian Army, in a statement, has assured that the Army will inquire about the matter by conducting a court of inquiry at the highest level.
