Oting Massacre: NSF demands Centre to grant prosecution sanction

DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 19: Against the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s ruling on September 17 closing criminal proceedings against 30 Indian Army personnel involved in the Oting massacre of December 4, 2021, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has demanded the Centre to grant prosecution sanction against the accused personnel of the 21 Para (SF) involved in the massacre.

In a representation to the Union Home Minister (Through the Home Commissioner, Government of Nagaland), NSF also demanded full accountability and transparency from the Union Government regarding the botched intelligence operation and the immediate revocation of AFSPA from the Naga homeland and the Northeast.

“If these demands are not addressed, the NSF will be left with no option but to launch democratic agitations to fight for the justice that has been denied to the victims and their families. The Naga people will not remain silent in the face of such gross injustices”, the representation said.

Expressing indignation and deep concern over the closure of criminal proceedings against the personnel of 21 Para (SF) involved in the Oting massacre, the Federation said the Supreme Court’s decision on September 17 to close the FIRs without prosecution further compounds the gross injustice the Naga people have endured.

The NSF said it is appalled by the Government of India’s consistent refusal to grant prosecution sanction against the guilty personnel, despite the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Nagaland Government filing charge-sheet naming 30 members of the 21 Para (SF) based on irrefutable evidence.

“The charges were not vague allegations but were supported by concrete findings after thorough investigation. Yet, the denial of prosecution raises serious questions: What is the Government of India trying to hide? Why is justice being withheld despite the gravity of the crime? By denying prosecution sanction, the GFovernment appears to be protecting the guilty rather than upholding the rule of law”, it alleged.

“The Naga people have waited in vain for accountability in this horrific incident. The Supreme Court’s interim stay of the proceedings in July 2022 and the eventual closure of the case despite the SIT’s findings erodes the trust that the Naga people place in the law of the land and democratic institutions. The Oting incident is not merely an isolated act of violence but a reflection of systemic injustice that has persisted under the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958”, it stated.

Stating that AFSPA, which has long been opposed by the people of the Northeast, continues to provide blanket immunity to armed forces personnel, effectively sanctioning extra-judicial killings and grave violations of human rights, the Federation said this law has no place in a democratic society. “It is time the Government of India revokes AFSPA from the Naga homeland. The Oting incident stands as a glaring example of how AFSPA is used to shield perpetrators of violence against innocent civilians, deepening the wounds of conflict and alienation”, it said.

(Page News Service)