Police sources said the Army probe team had given a go-ahead to the Nalagand Special Investigation Team (SIT) to record the statements of the soliders to allow smooth investigation of the incident.
New Delhi: A team of Indian Army that reached Nagaland to investigate the December 5 incident of civilian killings has reportedly allowed the state’s probe team to record the statements of soliders involved in the incident where 14 civilians were killed.
Police sources said the Army probe team had given a go-ahead to the Nalagand Special Investigation Team (SIT) to record the statements of the soliders to allow smooth investigation of the incident. The statements of all the soldiers will be recorded by the Nagaland SIT this week, sources said, according to a report by NDTV.
There are no details on how the probe by the state SIT will proceed further since Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act (AFSPA) is applicable in Nagaland.
This comes days after Nalagand government said the Centre has decided to form a panel to look into the withdrawal of the Armed Force Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The decision On December 20, the Nagaland Assembly had unianimously passed a resolution demanding the Centre to repeal the Armed Force Special Powers Act, 1958 from the state.
On early December 4, a unit of the 21 Para Special Forces organised an ambush on suspected NSCN-K-Yung Aung faction cadre near Tiru village, Mon district, and instead of gunning down the suspected militants, killed eight civilian miners belonging to Oting village who were returning home in a pickup truck.
Out of the miners, six were immediately killed as a result of the ambush and two were severely injured. The villagers, on searching for the missing miners and discovering their bodies, retaliated in anger on the local armed forces and in the ensuing firefight seven more civilians and one jawan were killed. On December 5, an agitated crowd burned down the Konyak Students Union Office and in the police firing that ensued, one more civilian was killed. In total, as a result of the unfortunate incidents, 14 civilians and one jawan were killed.
