A delegation of the Congress will visit Nagaland on Saturday to meet families of civilians who were killed in a botched-up operation by the armed forces in Mon district last Saturday.

The information was shared by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. It was earlier informed that Congress interim president had formed a four-member team to visit Nagaland and submit a report within a week on the civilian deaths. Besides Gogoi, the team would comprise senior party leaders Jitendra Singh, Ajoy Kumar and Anto Antony.

Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress party will meet Union home minister Amit Shah in Parliament on Wednesday to hand over a memorandum seeking compensation for the families of the victims. The TMC has also asked the Centre to come clean with its position on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

Earlier in the day, the Nagaland cabinet, headed by Neiphiu Rio, decided to demand the repeal of the controversial Act that gives the armed forces to operate with impunity.

The first incident in which six civilians were killed, occurred when army personnel mistook coal mine workers returning home in a pick-up van on Saturday evening, to be insurgents belonging to the Yung Aung faction of the banned outfit NSCN(K).

When workers failed to reach their homes, local villagers went in search of them and surrounded the army vehicles. In the ensuing melee, a soldier was killed and army vehicles set ablaze.

Soldiers said they fired in self-defence that led to death of another seven civilians.

Rioting spilled over into Sunday afternoon when angry mobs vandalised the offices of the Konyak Union and an Assam Rifles camp in the area, setting fire to parts of the camp, police had said.

At least one more person was killed, as security forces fired back at attackers. The Nagaland Police filed a suo moto FIR against the 21st Para Special Force of the Army.

The army has ordered a court of inquiry headed by an officer of major general rank into the Nagaland incident. Expressing regret over the Nagaland firing incident, Shah on Monday said a probe by an SIT will be completed within a month and asserted that all agencies must ensure such happenings do not recur while taking action against insurgents.

(With inputs from agencies)

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