Naga Op Killings: Tribal, Student Outfits Announce Protests as Death Toll Climbs

In the wake of the killings of at least thirteen villagers in the Mon district of Nagaland by security forces on Saturday, tribal and student outfits in the state have announced a series of protests.

The Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), which represents six tribes, has decided to abstain from the Hornbill festival in Kohima in protest against the bloodshed in its area. The organisation has requested all the six tribes under the outfit to abstain from participation in the festival with immediate effect, The Sentinel reported.

Other tribes, such as Lotha Hoto and Sumi Hoho have also decided to not participate in the festivities.

Another significant pressure group, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has called for a Bandh on Monday, in a reaction to the indiscriminate firing on villagers.

An official statement issued by NSF alleged that the Centre was suppressing the movement of the Naga people with such acts. “Such incident of innocent killing was not unprecedented and that the Centre was taking military means to suppress legitimate people's movements even after realising that they will be successful,” NSF added.

Besides the Bandh, which started at 6 AM on Monday and continued till 12 noon, the NSF has also urged people to skip the Hornbill festival this time and observe five-day statewide mourning for the deceased.

The FIR lodged by the Nagaland Police at Tizit in Mon district is unequivocal in blaming the security forces for the tragic incident. It reads that security forces blankly opened fire “without any provocation” on a Bolero pickup truck carrying coal mine labourers to their native village of Oting after a day’s work, “resulting (in) the killing of many Oting villagers and seriously injuring many others.”

The FIR has also noted that personnel of the 21st Para Military Force had not taken a police guide with them for assistance during the operation, thus further ailing their capacity to identify the apparent target: members of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN). “Hence, it is obvious that the intention of the security forces is to murder and injure civilians.”

Following the firing, local sources have informed that angry villagers then surrounded the security forces in protest, and set their vehicles on fire. The security forces retaliated, resulting in more casualties. On Sunday, one more civilian was killed in firing by the Assam Rifles when an angry mob stormed into their camp in Mon town and set a part of their camp on fire.

So far, at least 15 people, including one security personnel, have lost their lives according to India Today. Several others are injured, and the death toll may rise in the coming days.