AAPSU, NEHRO condemn incident
Dimapur, May 17 (MExN): After the death of a civilian in a firing by the Indian Army in Longding district on May 16, the Arunachal Pradesh government has ordered a judicial inquiry to probe the death, according to a report in Hindustan Times (HT).
A 60-year-old resident of Pumao village in the district was killed when a team of army personnel fired at a crowd. Several others, including army personnel, are also stated to have sustained injuries in the incident.
“A judicial inquiry, to find exact details of what happened, has been ordered. The first class judicial magistrate of Longding has been entrusted to submit the report within 15 days,” HT report quoted RP Upadhyaya, the director general of police.
Longding, Tirap and Changlang are the only district in the state where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, (AFSPA), which gives sweeping powers to the armed forces, is operational.
“Usually, the army informs the local police before conducting any operation. But since Longding is under AFSPA, they are not supposed to inform us,” Upadhyaya said.
According to the Indian Army’s version of the incident, a search operation was launched on May 16 based on “specific input regarding presence of insurgents” in Pumao Village.
“There was a gathering of villagers which started protesting against security forces and resorted to stone pelting. Troops identified suspicious movement and started moving towards a house which drew two to three bursts of fire on Indian Army party. Civilians were told to disperse and to safeguard lives and property, controlled retaliation was resorted by firing eight single shots,” defence PRO Lt Col Sumit K Sharma said in a statement on May 17.
In the melee, insurgents managed to escape, the Army statement claimed. “However, in this cross fire it is believed few villagers have got hurt and one villager has expired. Indian Army offers condolences to family of the deceased villager,” the statement read.
Many army soldiers were also injured due to “stone pelting by supporters of NSCN-IM,” it added.
However, student bodies and human rights organisations in Arunachal have alleged that the firing took place as the result of fallout between residents of Pumao and the army in a meeting to discuss reported thrashing of another villager on Friday night by the men in uniform.
According to a PTI report, The North East Humans Right Organization (NEHRO) has filed two complaints before the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) against the Indian Army.
It has reportedly appealed to the NHRC to issue necessary directions to the Home Ministry regarding the incident.
The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has also condemned the incident, terming the Army’s action as “barbaric”.
“This is unbecoming of the Indian Army which claims to be one of the most disciplined forces in the world. When the law keepers start terrorizing its own people and start taking innocent lives in a democracy, it negates the very purpose for what they have been assigned in this part of the country,” AAPU general secretary Tobom Dai said in a statement.
