Many condemn killing of civilians at Nagaland's Oting village
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 05 2021: Condemnations pour in from all spheres against the act of Indian Security Forces which led to the killing of 14 civilians on December 4, 2021 at Oting village in Mon district, Nagaland.

The United Naga Council (UNC) in the strongest term condemned the act of killing innocent civilians in a barbaric manner.

The UNC in a statement said that it is the most unfortunate incident in the recent history of the Nagas and is no way pardonable under any circumstances.

The Naga body also shared the grief and pain of the bereaved families.

The Joint Tribe Students' Association (JTSA) in a press release vehemently condemned the incident and termed the act of 28th Assam Rifles as an act of violation of human rights, an attack not only upon the Konyak tribe but upon the whole Nagas and alleged that the Government of India is responsible for the incident and the subsequent consequences.

Appealing to all Nagas to stand strong and hold their position, JTSA extended solidarity to the people of Konyak tribe and all the bereaved families and prayed that may the Almighty give strength to hold on at these challenging times.

The Tangkhul Naga Civil Society Organisations in a joint press statement today condemned the killing of unarmed civilians by the Indian Armed Forces and alleged that it is an act of heinous war crime.

The Tangkhul CSOs urged that all those armed personnel responsible for such serious human rights violation must be held accountable and demanded immediate suspension of the Commanding Officer of the unit, withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 and denotification of the 'disturbed area' declaration of the whole state of Nagaland, restoration of sanctity of the Indo-Naga ceasefire ground rules and timely and honourable conclusion of the ongoing Indo Naga Peace Dialogue.

The Kuki Students Organisation (KSO) General Headquarters while denouncing the incident stated that KSO GHQ stands with the people of Mon district and condoled the demise of the innocent lives and prayed for early recovery of all those injured.

The KSO GHQ also demanded justice for all the civilians who have lost their lives and urged the Central Government to look into the matter at the earliest to ensure that appropriate actions are taken as per law.

While expressing serious concern over the firing incident of Oting village, the Naga People's Front (NPF) in a statement strongly demanded immediate investigation at the highest level and appropriate action against the perpetrators as per the law of the land.

The State Cabinet should immediately take stock of the situation and institute a high level inquiry commission headed by a retired judge of the High Court, giving one month time to submit is findings and in the meantime, the Cabinet should declare compensatory measures for the aggrieved parties, added the statement.

Also the Naga People's Organization (NPO), Senapati (Tahamzam), the Mao Council, Tadubi, the Naga People's Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) and the Fellowship of Naga Baptist Association (FNBA) too denounced the incident while the Senapati District Students Association (SDSA) and its federating units observed candle light vigil and prayer session in honour of the deceased and observed one minute silence.

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