Centre regrets Nagaland firing incident: Amit Shah

The home minister said that it was a case of mistaken identity

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R Home Minister Amit Shah has said the killing of civilians in Nagaland by armed forces was a case of mistaken identity, adding that the Centre regrets the incident. Shah issued a statement in the Lok Sabha after a weekend of intense clashes that has rocked Nagaland.

“The Army had received info on movement of extremists in Oting, Mon. On that basis, 21 commandos laid an ambush in suspected area. A vehicle reached there, it was signalled to stop but it tried to flee. On suspicion of the vehicle carrying extremists, it was fired upon,” said Shah in Parliament.

“Six out of the eight people in vehicle died. It was later found to be a case of mistaken identity. Two others who were injured were taken to nearest health centre by Army. After receiving news of this, local villagers surrounded the Army unit, set two vehicles on fire and attacked them.

“The government expresses regret over the incident and offers condolence to members of the bereaved family,” he said.

Fourteen civilians were killed and 11 others injured by security forces in two consecutive incidents of firing. The Nagaland government on Sunday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the 14 people.

The state government also decided to set up a High Level Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an IGP level officer to probe the incident that took place on Saturday evening, according to an official statement.

Following this incident, a mob allegedly vandalised an Assam Rifles camp and the office of the Konyak Union in Nagaland's Mon district on Sunday afternoon.

The opposition is demanding that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also release a statement on the firing incident.

Opposition leaders shouted questions after Shah's brief statement, but they were not responded to, leading to a walkout.

Earlier in the day, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma joined in the chorus for repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the northeast. "AFSPA should be repealed," he tweeted. Sangma, the head of National People’s Party, is allied with the BJP-led NDA.

Rajya Sabha member from Assam and senior journalist Ajit Kumar Bhuyan said the killing of the villagers should be an eye-opener for all. "Incidents like this are the reason we have been constantly protesting against renewal of draconian AFSPA. This is not the first incident, but I hope this is the last."

All Assam Students' Union (AASU) chief Advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharjya said, "The action of the security forces is an unpardonable and heinous crime." -With inputs from PTI