Govt sincerely regrets civilian killings in Nagaland, HM Amit Shah tells Parliament

Expressing regret over the civilian killings, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday informed both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that the recent killing of civilians in Nagaland's Mon district was "a case of mistaken identity" and termed the incident as "unfortunate".

Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed the recent killing of civilians in Nagaland's Mon district as 'unfortunate' and 'a case of mistaken identity' besides expressing condolences to the families of the bereaved while replying to the members of Lok Sabha who sought the attention of the House to the recent killings of civilians in Nagaland.

He informed the House that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is probing the incident has been directed to submit the report within a month's time.

On Saturday, thirteen villagers and a soldier were killed in a counter-insurgency operation carried out by the Indian Army and its subsequent fall out in Mon district, which shares border with Myanmar. Enraged locals had set two army vehicles on fire. Army had opened fire on the mob to curtail it.

Briefing the House on the incident, the HM said the Indian army received inputs on the movement of the insurgents near Tiru village in Tizit area of Mon district, and added, "a team of 21 para-commandos of Indian Army laid an ambush in the evening of 04.12.2021. During the ambush, a vehicle approached the location and it was signaled to stop. However, the vehicle tried to flee, following which the vehicle, suspected of carrying insurgents, was fired upon resulting in killing of 6 out of 8 persons travelling in the vehicle."

"It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. The two persons who sustained injuries were evacuated to the medical facilities by the Army personnel," Shah added.

He said the locals who got the wind of the incident surrounded the Army team, burnt two vehicles and assaulted them resulting in death of one Security Force (SF) personnel and injuries to several others. "To disperse the crowd, SFs opened fire which resulted in killing of 7 more civilians and injuring some others. The local administration and Police have tried to diffuse the situation, which remains tense but under control," he added.

Detailing the steps taken by the state police, the HM said an FIR was registered regarding the incident in Tizit Police Station and considering the complexity of the case it has been transferred to the State Crime Police Station (SCPS).

On Sunday evening, a mob of approximately 250 tried to ransack the Company Operating Base (CoB) of Assam Rifles at Mon town. The mob burnt buildings of the CoB following which troops had to open fire to disperse the mob. Resultantly, one civilian was killed while another was injured. More forces have been deployed in the area to prevent any further untoward incident, the HM told the members of Lok Sabha.

Recalling the Army's statement, the HM underscored the commitment of the Army which is investigating the loss of lives at the highest level and necessitating action as per law.

Shah also told the House that he has got in touch with the Governor and the Chief Minister of the Nagaland.

"MHA also deputed Additional Secretary, in-charge of North East to Kohima wherein he held a meeting with Chief Secretary and other senior officers of State Government of Nagaland and senior officers of the Para-Military Forces today morning. The situation was reviewed in detail to ensure that normalcy is restored at the earliest. It was decided that all agencies should ensure that no such unfortunate incident recurs in future while undertaking operations against insurgents," he said.

Reeling out the measures of the Union government, the HM said it is keeping a close watch on the evolving situation and necessary measures are being taken as per requirement to ensure peace and tranquility in the region. The state authorities, as a precautionary measures, have promulgated prohibitory orders in the affected areas.

"The Government of India sincerely regrets this unfortunate incident in Nagaland and expresses its deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives," he said.

Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha, including Congress, SP, BSP and NCP have staged a walk out after the HM's statement. Later in the day, the HM presented a similar statement, amid Opposition sloganeering, in Rajya Sabha.