A daylong special session of the Nagaland Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution seeking the repeal of the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, from the Northeast, specifically from Nagaland, to strengthen the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful political settlement to the decades-old Naga issue.
Condemning the Oting “massacre” in the “indiscriminate firing” by the 21 Para Special Forces, the Opposition-less Assembly also resolved to call for “an apology from the appropriate authority” along with an “assurance” that justice would be delivered by “applying” the laws of the land upon those who “perpetrated” the massacre and upon those who are “responsible” for the incident.
The special session was convened following the all-round demand for the scrapping of the law (AFSPA) in the wake of the December 4-5 killings of 14 civilians in a botched counter-insurgency operation in Mon district.
A government official said this was the third time the state Assembly had taken a resolution against the AFSPA after 1971 and 2015.
The Act was enacted by Parliament in 1958 to give security forces certain special powers to deal with the Naga armed insurgency. It is currently imposed in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (barring Imphal municipal area) and three districts and eight police stations of Arunachal Pradesh. The Assembly on Monday resolved to demand that the Centre repeal the Act.
According to a government statement, the House also appreciated and supported citizens and civil society organisations of Mon district and the state in their “demand” for the repeal of AFSPA and delivery of justice, while appealing to all sections to follow democratic norms and non-violence in “our collective endeavour towards realisation of peace and delivery of justice”.
Another resolution said the Naga people had been crying for peace and an early solution to the long-pending Naga political issue aimed at ending one of the oldest insurgencies in Asia.
“It is of paramount importance that people’s voice is heard and respected. The House, therefore, once again appeals to the negotiating parties of the Indo-Naga political dialogue to bring the talks to its logical conclusion by reaching a settlement that is honourable and inclusive at the earliest,” the statement said.
Members who spoke were unsparing in their criticism of the Act.
Initiating discussions on AFSPA, deputy chief minister Y. Patton pointed out that the “power and immunity” provided under the Act has led to many instances of “gross abuse” by the members of the security forces, over the years, the most recent being the “ghastly” firing incident in Mon district.
The Army on Monday issued a public notice about the inquiry it was conducting into the Oting case. The notice requested the public to share information, including videos, photos from primary source or any other information,
via phone or SMS or WhatsApp at 916026930283 or through the Army helpline 913742388456. “The identity of the informant will be kept confidential on request,” the notice said.
