‘Betrayed by our own’: Anger in Nagaland after Supreme Court ruling on civilian killings
The local leadership has been placated by the Centre, which nominated an Oting resident to Rajya Sabha, say the families of the victims.
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There is anger and resentment in Nagaland’s Oting after the Supreme Court on September 17 quashed criminal proceedings against 30 Indian Army personnel accused of killing 13 residents of the village in a mistaken ambush and subsequent violence.
On the evening of December 4, 2021, the Army’s 21 Para Special Force opened fire at a van carrying coal miners from Tiru to Oting village in Mon district, killing six on board. The army had apparently mistaken the group of workers for insurgents. A crowd of protestors then set fire to army vehicles. Seven more civilians were killed when the soldiers opened fire again.
Chemwang Konyak, whose 32-year-old son was among those killed, told Scroll over the phone from Oting village that there is unhappiness over the Supreme Court verdict. “We are deeply aggrieved and disheartened by the Supreme Court order. Appropriate justice should be given to the victims,” said Konyak. “We are all human beings. Everyone’s life is precious. They should not have killed innocent villagers.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling is on technical grounds and it has said that the case against the Army personnel can proceed if the Centre gives its sanction. The Ministry of Home Affairs had in April 2023 refused to give sanction to the criminal proceedings initiated...
