Student bodies rue SC ruling on Oting massacre
Source: Chronicle News Service / NNN
Imphal, September 20 2024:
Rongmei Naga Students' Organisation, Manipur (RNSOM) expressed resentment over the Supreme Court of In dia's ruling on September 17, which closed criminal proceedings against 30 Indian army personnel involved in the Oting (Nagaland) "inhuman massacre" of December 4, 2021 .
In a release, RNSOM objected to the dismissal of criminal proceeding against 21 Para (Special force) personnel involved in killing of 14 civilians at Oting village, Mon district Nagaland, by the apex court of India.
The tragic affair remains a painful reminder of the on going violence and injustices faced by the Naga people, perpetuated under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) 1958 .
Several monstrous atrocities toward Naga people testified history of oppression and suppression of the Naga people's struggle for civil and political rights under the shadow AFSPA of 1958, RNSOM said.
RNSOM also lamented that the world s largest democracy has failed and denied justice to humanity.
While extending solidarity to the families of the 14 innocent victims, RNSOM also announced its unstinted support to the demand for justice.
In related development, the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) wrote to the union home minister demanding prosecution sanctions against the 21 Para (security force) personnel involved in the "Oting massacre " of Nagaland in 2021 .
In its representation to the union home minister, the apex Naga student body expressed its 'utmost indignation and deep concern" over the closure of criminal proceedings against the personnel of 21 Para (security force) involved in the tragic killing of 14 civilians at Oting, Mon district, Nagaland, on December 4, 2021 .
The Supreme Court's decision on September 17, 2024, to close the FIRs without prosecution further compounds the gross injustice the Naga people have endured, said the NSF.
NSF expressed its dismay at the "Government of India's consistent refusal" to grant prosecution sanctions against the guilty personnel.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Nagaland Government had filed a chargesheet naming 30 members of the 21 Para (SF), based on "irrefutable" evidence, it pointed out.
The charges were not vague allegations but were supported by concrete findings after a thorough investigation, the NSF maintained.
"Yet, the denial of prosecution raises serious questions: What is the Government of India trying to hide? Why is justice being withheld despite the gravity of the crime? By denying prosecution sanction, the government appears to be protecting the guilty rather than upholding the rule of law," it added.
NSF stated that the Naga people have waited in vain for accountability in this horrific incident.
The Supreme Court's interim stay of the proceedings in July 2022 and the eventual closure of the case despite the SIT's findings erodes the trust that the Naga people place in the law of the land and democratic institutions, NSF further said.
The Oting incident is not merely an isolated act of Violence but a reflection of systemic injustice that has persisted under the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, it added.
The NSF representation continued, "AFSPA, which has long been opposed by the people of the Northeast, continues to provide blanket immunity to armed forces personnel, effectively sanctioning extrajudicial killings and grave violations of human rights." It also stated that this law has no place in a democratic society.
NSF said it is time the Government of India revokes AFSPA from the Naga homeland.
"The Oting incident stands as a glaring example of how AFSPA is used to shield perpetrators of violence against innocent civilians, deepening the wounds of conflict and alienation," it stated.
NSF also cautioned that it will be left with no option but to launch democratic agitations to fight for the justice that has been denied to the victims and their families.
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