Nagaland Assembly seeks apology for Oting massacre, demands repeal of AFSPA

Condemning the recent massacre of civilians by the Assam Rifles at Oting village in Mon district, a special session of the Nagaland legislative assembly on Monday called for an apology from the appropriate authority besides urging the Centre to repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA).

Nagaland: Condemning the recent massacre of civilians by the Assam Rifles at Oting village in Mon district, a special session of the Nagaland legislative assembly on Monday called for an apology from the appropriate authority. The Assembly also sought the repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA) from the northeast, specifically from Nagaland, so as to strengthen the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful political settlement to the Naga political issue.

Along with the apology, the House also demanded an assurance from the Centre that justice will be delivered by applying the laws of the land upon those who perpetrated the inhuman massacre and upon those who are responsible for the incident.

In a case of 'mistaken identity, the paratroopers of the Assam Rifles shot at a van carrying civilian workers taking them to be militants on the evening of December 4 which had left 13 civilians and a security personnel dead and 35 others injured.

The House also appealed to the citizens of Mon district, its civil societies, the citizens of the State and other organisations to extend cooperation to the Government and its agencies as "collective efforts" to demand justice and to restore normalcy in the interest of all the citizens.

"The House appreciates and supports citizens and civil society organizations in their demand for repealing of AFSPA and delivery of justice while appealing to all sections to follow democratic norms and non-violence in our collective endeavour towards the realisation of peace and delivery of justice," a statement issued by the government read.

"Naga people have been crying for peace and an early solution for the long-pending Naga Political Issue. It is of paramount importance that the people's voice is heard and respected. The House, therefore, once again appeals to the negotiating parties of the Indo-Naga political dialogue to bring the talks to its logical conclusion by reaching a settlement that is honourable and inclusive at the earliest," it said.

The tenth session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly was held on Monday at the Nagaland Legislative Assembly at Kohima. The members of the NLA observed a two-minute silence in memory and honour of all the 14 persons who lost their lives in the Oting incident.