Nagaland killing: Konyak Union imposes day-long bandh in Mon dist, announces 7-day mourning

Kohima

KonyakUnion (KU), the apex tribal body in Nagaland's Mon, imposed a day-long bandh inthe district on Tuesday to protest the killing of 14 civilians by securityforces, and announced seven-day mourning from the next day.

The KU urged security forces to abstain from patrolling in the Konyak regionduring the seven-day mourning period, and warned that if the law enforcers donot abide by it, they will be responsible for "any untoward incident thatmight occur".

The union, in a letter sent on Monday, requested President Ramnath Kovind toconstitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) also comprising two members ofEastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) in it and identify the Armypersonnel involved in the incident, and put in the public domain within 30 daysthe action taken against them.

It demanded that 27 Assam Rifles immediately vacate Mon for failing to protectcivilians, and Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act be removed from the entireNortheast.

"We have imposed a day-long bandh in Mon district on Tuesday. It is goingon peacefully. We have also announced seven-day mourning from Wednesday,"Konyak Union president Howing Konyak told PTI.

The last rites of the 14 civilians killed in firing by security forces onDecember 4 and 5 were held in the Mon district headquarters on Monday. ChiefMinister Neiphiu Rio, his cabinet colleagues and representatives of severaltribal organisations attended the event.

When asked about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement in Parliament,Konyak said, "At the moment, we are not in a condition to accept or rejecthis statement. We are saddened by the brutal killing of our people. Whatactually happened will only be known after the two survivors who are beingtreated in Assam regain consciousness."

The union said that the incident seemed to be a result of "completefailure of military intelligence" and "cannot be termed as a case ofmistaken identity at all".

"The slain people were villagers with no connection to any element thatmay cause the slightest concern to security forces or national security in anyrespect," the KU stated.

"This is an act of atrocity beyond reasoning. No explanation can justifythis heinous act of deliberate crime against humanity," it added.

The union said that the perpetrators up to the highest rank be booked and triedat a civil court.