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2021 Nagaland killings

(Redirected from 2021 Oting Nagaland Massacre)

On 4 December 2021, a unit of 21st Para Special Forces[1][2] of the Indian Army killed six civilians near the village of Oting in the Mon District of Nagaland, India. Eight more civilians and a soldier were killed in subsequent violence. The killings were widely condemned with many calling to repeal and revoke the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.[5]

2021 Nagaland Killings
Part of the ethnic conflict in Nagaland
Candlelight vigil organised at Kohima
Date4–5 December 2021
Location
Yatong–Langkhao, Oting, Mon District, Nagaland, India
MethodsAmbush
Parties
Civilians
Casualties and losses
1 killed
14 killed

Background

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Nagaland has been long beset with secessionist politics, often spilling into armed insurgency, to which the government has responded with a heavy presence of armed forces.[6] In 1958, the Parliament of India enacted the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which granted considerable leeway to armed forces and eliminated procedural safeguards.

Oting is a village in Upper Nagaland, within the Mon community development block. In the last census (2011), total population stood at 1266; 99% of them were classed under scheduled tribes with a 29% literacy rate. About 45.4% had annual employment exceeding half-a-year and were mostly cultivators; another 9.1% were "marginal workers" and mostly employed in household industries for less than 3 months.

Incidents

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Ambush

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On the evening of 4 December 2021 at around 4:00–5:00 p.m. IST, a unit of 21 Para Special Forces[1] ambushed an open-bed pickup truck—carrying civilians from Oting village (26°50′42″N 94°57′27″E / 26.84500°N 94.95750°E / 26.84500; 94.95750) who were returning from a coal mine at Tiru—and opened fire.[7][8][9] Six people died, and two received serious injuries.[8]

The Army claims to have been the victim of an intelligence failure; they had suspected the vehicle to contain Naga insurgents.[8][10] They further claim to have only opened fire when instructions to the vehicle to stop were not followed.[11] The two survivors reject the claims, as did Nagaland Police upon a preliminary inquiry.[12][13]

Discovery of Bodies

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Neighbouring villagers, apprehensive about the gunshots and villagers who were yet to return, soon arrived at the scene and intercepted a convoy of military vehicles; the troops claimed to be reinforcements who were shifting "injured people" to hospital and feigned ignorance about why the pickup truck stood splattered with blood.[14][15][16] Subsequently, they were found to be transporting the dead to their base camp while also trying to change the attire of the deceased, evidently to stage an encounter.[17][15][18][16]

In the ensuing melee, tires of army vehicles were punctured, and three vehicles torched; in accompanying gunfire, seven civilians were killed and twenty injured.[7][17][19] The Indian Army claimed troops were attacked by machete-wielding villagers and opened fire only under compulsion, as one infantryman was dead and others injured.[14][20] Villagers rejected the claims and accused the Army of indiscriminate shooting.[14][15] Nyawang Konyak, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s district unit claimed to have been fired at by Indian army soldiers despite his vehicle displaying a party-flag.[14][21]

Aftermath

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Protests and remembrance

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The following day, the Government of Nagaland imposed Section 144 in Mon District to restrict public assembly and movement; mobile internet and bulk SMS services were indefinitely suspended.[11] Despite, public protests were organized — hundreds of men entered into a local camp of Assam Rifles in Mon Town during which one more civilian was killed.[11][22]

The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), which represents six tribes, withdrew from the ongoing annual Hornbill Festival.[11] The Nagas hoisted black flags on all its morungs at the festival while the Konyaks decided to have its cultural troupe abstain from participating at the festival. This was followed by the other Naga cultural troupes also abstaining on 5 December. Two minutes of silence were also observed at the venue on the same day.[23][24] Later on the evening of 5 December, the people of Kohima observed a power blackout for 30 minutes to mourn the death of the civilians.[23][24] Candlelight marches were organised in Kohima, Dimapur and other towns on the same day.[11] A six-hour shutdown was also called by the Naga Students' Federation.[25][26] On 7 December, the Government of Nagaland announced that it would suspend all activities at the Hornbill Festival.[27]

Politics

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Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs of India, regretted the killings before the Parliament—which was in session—, and tasked a Special Investigation Team to complete an enquiry within a month; however, he reiterated the narrative of Indian Army in toto.[20] The opposition staged a walkout in protest and later, condemned the government preventing political from accessing the area.[28][29]

Even members of the state BJP unit and its political allies reject Shah's narrative — party president Temjen Imna Along held the event to be "summary execution as well as genocide."[28][29][30] The local village council has since issued an informal ban on Indian Army entering into the village.[16]

Investigations

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On 6 December, the Nagaland Police registered a First information report against the 21 Para Special Forces, bringing charges of first degree murder.[31][15] The National Human Rights Commission of India has sent notices to the central and the state governments.[25]

The Indian Army constituted a Court of Inquiry headed by a Major General to probe the circumstance under which the operation took place. In addition, it will also examine the credibility of the intelligence report which led to the detachment of the 21 Para Special Forces led by an officer of the rank of Major.[32]

On 17 September 2024, the Supreme Court of India quashed criminal proceedings against the accused, citing the lack of government approval for prosecution.[33]

Funeral

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On 6 December, all fifteen civilian casualties were interred in a mass funeral service, led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.[34]

Legacy

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The incident led to renewed calls to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.[35][36][37][38][excessive citations] On 7 December, the Government of Nagaland announced that it would officially seek its repeal.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Nagaland killings: Full statement made by Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament". The Indian Express. 6 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Nagaland Op That Killed 14 Civilians: Army Unit Named In FIR". NDTV.com. 6 December 2021. The 21 Para Special forces of Army "blankly opened fire" resulting in the killing of many Oting villagers in Mon district of Nagaland near Assam border, the state police has alleged in its FIR against the Army unit.
  3. ^ "No attempt by Army to identify civilians, says Nagaland police report". Business Standard India. 8 December 2021. The Nagaland Police on its own filed an FIR against the 21st Para Special Force of the Army on Monday.
  4. ^ a b "India: Army Kills 14 Civilians in Nagaland". Human Rights Watch. 8 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Indian troops kill 14 civilians in weekend incidents, spurring demands for repeal of special powers in some regions". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  6. ^ Wouters, Jelle J. P. (2018). In the Shadows of Naga Insurgency: Tribes, State, and Violence in Northeast India. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780199485703.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-909776-0.
  7. ^ a b "Nagaland killings: rioting as Indian security forces shoot dozen civilians". The Guardian. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "At least 13 civilians shot dead by army in India's Nagaland state". Al Jazeera. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  9. ^ "India Nagaland: Security forces kill 13 civilians amid ambush blunder". BBC News. 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  10. ^ "Nagaland: Indian state tense after killing of 14 civilians". BBC News. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  11. ^ a b c d e Karmakar, Rahul; Peri, Dinakar (December 5, 2021). "Army operation in Nagaland goes awry, 15 civilians dead". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  12. ^ "Nagaland Police rejects army's claim of credible intelligence behind Oting firing, says troops fired without establishing facts". thenortheasttoday.com. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  13. ^ "Nagaland killings: Direct marise…they shot right at us, no signal to stop, we did not flee, says ambush survivor". The Indian Express. 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  14. ^ a b c d Zaman, Rokibuz. "A Nagaland village mourns its dead: 'How can the army kill my innocent sons?'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  15. ^ a b c d "'Admit we got aggressive but they killed our brothers, who had done no wrong'". The Indian Express. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  16. ^ a b c Scroll Staff. "Nagaland firing: Villagers say security personnel tried to pass off killed civilians as militants". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  17. ^ a b "Nagaland Civilian Killings: Police Report Also Hints at Cover-Up Attempt". The Wire. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  18. ^ Chatterjee, Sreya (December 8, 2021). "Nagaland shooting: Eyewitnesses claim there was an attempt to change the attire of dead civilians". India Today. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  19. ^ X, Samrat. "Ambush, mob fury, and a lawless law: A timeline of what happened in Nagaland on December 4". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  20. ^ a b "Nagaland civilian killings: What Amit Shah said in Parliament". The Times of India. 2021-12-06. Archived from the original on 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  21. ^ Saikia, Arunabh (5 December 2021). "BJP district chief in Nagaland alleges security forces fired at him 'despite party flag on car'". Scroll.in.
  22. ^ Yasir, Sameer; Kumar, Hari (December 5, 2021). "Anger Spreads in Northeastern India After Security Forces Kill 14 Civilians". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Several civilians killed by security forces in Mon; High-level SIT t to investigate incident". The Morung Express. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Nagaland killings: Lotha Hoho to abstain from Hornbill Festival". East Mojo. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Nagaland killings spark fresh demand for AFSPA repeal, SIT report in a month: Key points". The Times of India. 2021-12-06. Archived from the original on 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  26. ^ Ambrocia, Medolenuo (2021-12-06). "Nagaland killings: 6-hour total shut down across Naga inhabited areas". EastMojo. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  27. ^ a b "Nagaland to seek AFSPA repeal; Hornbill festival suspended". Deccan Herald. December 7, 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  28. ^ a b "'This Is a Lie': Nagaland's BJP Leadership Decries Amit Shah's Justification of Killings in LS". The Wire. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  29. ^ a b Scroll Staff. "Nagaland killings: Amit Shah twisted facts, civilians were not trying to flee, says BJP ally". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  30. ^ Scroll Staff. "'Black day': Naga groups, politicians condemn civilians killing by security forces". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  31. ^ Kanojia, Sonu (2021-12-06). "Nagaland Police lodged FIR against 21 Para Special Forces in the Nagaland Op Death". HW English. Archived from the original on 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  32. ^ Pandit, Rajat (7 December 2021). "Major General to head court of inquiry". Times of India. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  33. ^ "Fury as India quashes charges for botched army ambush". France 24. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  34. ^ "Funerals for 15 civilians killed by Indian army held in Nagaland". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  35. ^ "Explained: Why Nagaland killings have rekindled debate on AFSPA". The Indian Express. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  36. ^ Mishra, Stuti (5 December 2021). "Nagaland: 13 civilians accidentally shot dead by Indian security forces". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2021-12-05. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  37. ^ "NESO condemns Oting massacre, demands repeal of AFSPA". www.uniindia.com. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  38. ^ "Amit Shah expresses anguish over Nagaland killings, conveys condolences to families". The Times of India. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
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