NEW DELHI: Home minister Amit Shah on Monday, while making a statement in both Houses of Parliament on the killing of civilians in Nagaland in a case of mistaken identity, said “the government of India sincerely regrets this unfortunate incident…and expresses its deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives”.
“The government is keeping a close watch on the evolving situation and necessary measures are being taken as per requirement to ensure peace and tranquility in the region. The state authorities, as a precautionary measure, have promulgated prohibitory orders in the affected areas,” he apprised the MPs, first in the Lok Sabha and then the Rajya Sabha.
No clarifications on Shah’s statement, which was made amid noisy protests by Opposition MPs, could be sought in the Rajya Sabha as the din continued. Though RS deputy chairman called out the name of RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha, as submitted, to seek clarification, he was forced to adjourn the House for the day due to lack of order.
Shah, in his statement earlier, informed both the Houses that an additional secretary from the ministry of home affairs (MHA) was in Kohima to review the situation and had discussed steps on Monday morning with the state brass to restore normalcy at the earliest.
It was decided during the MHA officer’s meetings with the Nagaland chief secretary and senior officers of the para-military forces that all agencies should ensure that such unfortunate incidents do not recur in the future while undertaking operations against the insurgents.
Shah recalled that the Army 3 Corps had released a press statement deeply regretting the incident and its aftermath which resulted in the unfortunate killing of innocent civilians.
The statement adds that the cause of the unfortunate loss of lives is being investigated at the highest level and appropriate action will be taken as per law.
Sharing that he had got in touch with the Nagaland governor soon after receiving news of the incident, Shah said the MHA was monitoring the situation through Sunday in consultation with the chief secretary and DGP.
“More forces have been deployed in the area to prevent any further untoward incident,” he said.
The home minister said that based on inputs received by the Indian Army about movement of the insurgents near Tiru village in Tizit area of Mon district, a team of 21 para-commandos of Indian Army laid an ambush in the evening of December 4.
During the ambush, a vehicle approached the Iocation and it was signaled to stop. However, the vehicle tried to flee, which aroused suspicion that it was carrying insurgents. This led the Army to fire upon the vehicle, resulting in killing of 6 out of 8 persons travelling in it. “It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. The two persons who sustained injuries were evacuated to the medical facilities by the Army personnel,” Shah shared.
Angry at the loss of civilian lives, the local villagers surrounded the Army team, burnt two of their vehicles and assaulted the personnel, leading to the death of one and injuring several others.
To disperse the crowd, the security forces opened fire which resulted in killing of seven more civilians. “The local administration and police have tried to defuse the situation, which remains tense,” said Shah.
Shah said the state DGP had visited the spot and an FIR registered regarding the incident. Considering the complexity of the case, he said it has been transferred to the state crime police station (SCPS) and a special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted and directed to complete the investigation within one month.
The home minister added that on Sunday evening, a 250-strong mob tried to ransack the Company Operating Base (COB) of Assam Rifles at Mon town. The mob burnt buildings of the COB following which troops had to open fire to disperse the mob. Resultantly, one civilian was killed while another was injured.