Civil bodies of Tamenglong on Saturday demanded to repeal the draconian law Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA) from Naga inhabited areas particularly from Northeast India.
In this regard, a sit- in- protest against the brutal killing of innocent civilians by the Indian security forces in Mon district of Nagaland was organised by the Joint Tribe Student Associations under the aegis of All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM) in collaboration with Joint Tribe Council and Joint Tribe Councils Women Wing at Haipou Jadonang Park, Tamenglong.
ANSAM sports secretary Gaijinlung Riamei told the Imphal Free Press on the sidelines of the occasion that Indian security forces were deployed everywhere in the entire Northeast India. It is not sure if such incidents will happen again in the future and therefore, the draconian law AFSPA, 1958 must be repealed from Naga inhabited areas, particularly Northeast India, he said.
Gaijinlung Riamei further said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had misinformed the Indian Parliament by stating that the Oting killing was a case of mistaken identity. Urging Amit Shah to retract the message, the ANSAM leader said the Indian security force intentionally committed the inhuman act.
Expressing condemnation against the Indian security forces involved, he also extended condolences and expressed his solidarity to Konyak brothers in Mon district.
As part of the paying homage to the departed souls of Oting Massacre, a two-minute silent prayer was also observed by the participants.
In his solidarity speech, Joint Tribe Council Convener Ramkung Pamei said that everyone knows that after killing the 13 innocent civilians on the spot, security forces tried to hide the dead bodies in their vehicle to claim that those civilians were killed in the encounter.
He said that when relatives of those killed civilians searched for their whereabouts, security again fired at them killing 15 civilians and leaving some others injured.
“Indian security is posted everywhere in Tamenglong district. We are not secure, whether at home, at work, we are not safe,” Ramkung added.
He said that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA) must be repealed at any cost from the Northeast. Expressing his condemnations, he also demanded to bring justice to Konyak brothers whose lives were lost.
In her solidarity speech, Joint Tribe Council Women Wing president Hannah Dichongta said that those civilians who died in the Oting Massacre had families.
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA), a draconian law which empowered them, must be removed from the entire Northeast, she added.
