Nagaland’s Mon district tense after stir over civilian killings turns violent
Nagaland’s Mon district remained on edge on Sunday as violent protests broke out against the killing of 13 civilians by the Indian Army in a botched counter-insurgency operation, prompting the authorities to impose curfew in the area and prohibit movement of all non-essential vehicles, people familiar with the matter said.
On Saturday, army personnel gunned down seven coal mine workers after mistaking them to be insurgents. Soon after the incident, angry villagers reached the spot and set ablaze two security vehicles, sparking off another round of firing by forces to “control the situation” in which at least six villagers and one soldier died, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
A mob protesting against Saturday’s incident surrounded an Assam Rifles’ camp in the district and set parts of it afire, officials familiar with the matter said. Security personnel opened fire on the mob, killing one civilian, they added. The protesters also ransacked the office of Konyak Union.
The Nagaland government has banned mobile internet and SMS services in the region to curb “circulation of inflammatory videos, pictures or text,” an official directive said.
A notification issued by the state home department banning the services alluded to the “apprehension of grave law and order problems” in the district and said “Short Message Service (SMS), Whatsapp, Facebook, and other social media platforms could be used for spreading of rumours, fake news, and for circulating inflammatory texts, pictures, videos etc. which may inflame passions and thus exacerbate the law-and-order situation.”
The gunning down of the civilians renewed the demand for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from the state. The Act, which grants special powers to the forces to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”, has been a contentious issue in the state, with civil society members saying that it gives personnel impunity to carry out excesses and forces saying that it helps them maintain order in restive areas.
Also Read| Demand for Afspa repeal renews in Nagaland
“It is under cover of the AFSPA that Indian Army personnel indulge in such acts of terror on innocent Nagas, go scot-free, and quickly return to calling themselves “friends” of the hill people,” The Naga People’s Front (NPF), a regional political party, said in a statement.
The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) urged six tribes of the region to withdraw participation from the ongoing Hornbill Festival, which is the state’s biggest tourism attraction.
“It has to be understood by all concerned that this order/move is not against the State Govt., but to show resentment against the security forces who have committed this heinous crime, and to show solidarity of the six tribes,” a release issued by the organisation said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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