Chief Minister Rio tweeted this morning that a special investigation team would investigate the matter.
New Delhi:
An anti-insurgency operation in Nagaland by an elite unit of the Indian Army’s Para Special Forces went horribly wrong on Saturday, killing 13 innocent villagers, who were wrongly believed to be terrorists. An army jawan also lost his life when the situation suddenly spiraled out of control.
Sources said the classified operation was being carried out without the knowledge of the police or the Assam Rifles, which play a vital role in combating insurgency in the region.
The Mon region is a stronghold of the Naga group NSCN(K) and the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) of Assam and is the district that shares an international border with Myanmar as well as the state’s border with Assam. This area is considered sensitive and unstable.
Sources said that around 4 pm on Saturday, an army team led by a Major targeted a pickup truck on the Tiru-Oting road and opened fire on it.
Eight people were in the truck – six of them died on the spot, two others died on the way to the hospital. All the people in the truck are believed to be local coal miners.
No arms or ammunition were recovered from the truck, the sources said.
Sources said that soon after, hundreds of villagers – armed with stones and daggers – attacked the army team. Sources said the army team opened fire in self-defence, killing at least five villagers and injuring several others.
One commando was killed and seven jawans were injured in stone pelting by locals.
Government sources said that Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has returned to the state and his cabinet meeting is likely to take place.
Top officials of Army, Police and Home Ministry are meeting in Nagaland’s capital Kohima tomorrow.
Mobile internet and SMS services have been suspended in Mon district to check the spread of rumours.
But this evening, the situation turned tense in Mon town as angry protesters surrounded the Assam Rifles camp. Police sources said they entered the camp and tried to set a part of it on fire.
Chief Minister Rio tweeted this morning that a Special Investigation Team would investigate the matter and justice would be delivered as per the law of the land. Mr. Rio will visit the spot tomorrow and meet the local people.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted: “Saddened at an unfortunate incident in Oting, Som, Nagaland. I express my deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. A high level SIT constituted by the state government is involved in this. Will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. To ensure justice to the bereaved families.”
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