Fourteen people are killed after a pickup carrying miners is ambushed by the military in the small state in northeastern India. Demands grow louder for the military to be stripped of their “special powers”. For Nagaland Catholics, no one “on earth has the authority to take away another life under any given circumstances.”
Kohima (AsiaNews) – Tensions are running high in Nagaland, a small state in north-eastern India where Christians make up almost 90 per cent of the population, after security forces killed scores of civilians, "by mistake", in Oting, a village in Mon district.
The incident that saw soldiers shoot at a group of miners mistaken for guerrillas has again raised the issue of the military’s special powers.
Last Saturday, soldiers opened fire on a pick-up truck that was taking miners back to their village after a day of work, killing six passengers.
When protests broke out in Oting after residents heard about the incident, soldiers fired upon protesters, killing more people. The total death toll now stands at 14.
According to Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah, the authorities had received reports about “movement of extremists” in the village and the miners' vehicle was hit while trying to flee.
The villagers refuse to accept the official version of events. In Oting, the local Citizens’ Office said that no warning was issued, noting that the security forces tried to hide the evidence, moving the bodies and placing guns next to the dead.
It goes on to say that when residents and military got into an argument after the bodies were discovered, the latter began firing “indiscriminately”.
As a consequence, the Office said that village will not allow Indian Armed Forces into Oting for an indefinite period, and villagers will not be responsible for “whatever happens” if the security forces fail to respect this directive.
The Catholic Association of Nagaland expressed its solidarity with the victims of Oting.
No one “on earth has the authority to take away another life under any given circumstances. If such evil act is permitted by any Nation/Government or organisation, it is the Sin unto Death,” reads a statement by the Association.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio attended the funeral where he demanded the removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from his state.
“India is the largest democracy,” he explained. Such a “draconian law” has “blackened the image of our country,” and “should be removed”. In Rio’s view, other laws exist that can be used.