Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a statement on the Nagaland firing and resultant violence and said that the cause of the firing by the 21st Para (Special Forces) was “misidentification” after insurgent militants were suspected of travelling in a vehicle that was fired upon by the forces.
“The Army’s 21st Para (SF) unit received information of movement of insurgents I the evening of 4th December in the Tajit area of Nagaland. An ambush was set up by the forces, during which a vehicle was instructed to stop but did not, and instead attempted to move out of the area at a high speed. Thereafter, the vehicle was fired at on the suspicion that it was carrying suspected militants which caused the death of six out of its eight passengers. Later, it was revealed as a case of misidentification”.
He further said that the other two who were injured were taken by the soldiers themselves for treatment, but as the news of the incident spread, villagers surrounded the unit, burned vehicles and attacked them. This led to the death of one jawan of the security forces and injuries to several others.
“In order to protect themselves and scatter the crowd, the security personnel had to resort to firing, which killed a further seven civilians and injuries to others. The local administration and police have attempted to normalize the situation. At present, the situation is tense but under control.”
Shah also told the House that an investigation was being carried out at the highest levels/ “It has been decided that all agencies should ensure that no such unfortunate incidents should occur as they counter insurgents”
Police FIR Says Forces Had “Intention To Murder And Injure”
Nagaland Police, on the other hand, registered a suo-moto FIR which plainly states that the intention of the forces was to “murder and injure civilians”: "It is to be noted that at the time of the incident, there was no local police guide nor did the security forces requisition to police station to provide police guide for their operation. Hence, it is obvious that the intention of security forces was to murder and injure civilians”, it reads.
The FIR says that those deceased and injured were coal miners who were returning from work, along with local villagers who were injured or killed in the aftermath of the attack. The Assam Rifles have expressed regret for the incident but said that their actions were based on credible intelligence of the movement of insurgents.
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