Morung Express News
Dimapur| December 13
The NPP, on December 13, condemned the statement given by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament on the tragic December 4 Oting killings. At a press conference today in Dimapur, NPP General Secretary, Political Affairs, Ricky Ozukum, termed Shah’s statement an attempt to protect the security forces personnel, who carried out the ambush.
Under the protection of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), he said that the security forces have been committing extra-judicial killings, sexual crimes and burning down villages.
Ozukum further said that the NPP has demanded the suspension of the DC and SP of Mon district under whose jurisdiction the tragedy occurred. According to Ozukum, the SP and the DC did nothing for three and a half hours after the killing of 6 civilians by security forces. He alleged the Mon police of stopping people from visiting the spot, while adding that if the public had not gone to the spot, the victims would have been framed and announced as militants. The subsequent violence would have been avoided if only the district administration had taken “extra precautions,” he held
The NPP’s youth wing Vice President said that the party is scheduled to conduct “dharna” and submit a memorandum to the President of India demanding repeal of AFSPA. General Secretary, Media, Tohovi Achumi reminded that the party is going to closely monitor the inquiry being conducted by the Special Investigation Team and cautioned against anyone trying to suppress the investigation. He recalled state government authorities initially disallowing NPP members from proceeding to Oting village on December 8.
On the other hand, NPP Nagaland President, Andrew Ahoto held that vehicles belonging to NDPP, BJP, and RPP were allowed to enter without any hassle. Terming it a political move, he said that the police, who stopped them, had no written directive from the state government. He said that they were allowed to proceed only after they threatened to stage a protest.
Ahoto further panned the official claim that the killing was the result of a case of mistaken identity. According to him, the soldiers involved were trying to frame the victims, which he added is not uncommon in the northeast.
The party also demanded that the Assam Rifles’ ‘Friends of the Hill People’ label should be reconsidered, while the victims’ families should be made aware of the actions taken on the guilty post the investigation.
