Newmai News Network
DIMAPUR, SEP 19: The Naga Hoho has expressed “strong resentment and vehement condemnation” of the Supreme Court of India’s ruling on September 17, 2024, which closed criminal proceedings against thirty Indian Army personnel involved in the Oting (Nagaland) massacre of December 4, 2021.
The Naga Hoho, in a statement, said the Supreme Court’s ruling that the case may be taken to its logical conclusion if sanction is granted by the Centre (Central Government) is just lip-service, a failure to shoulder their responsibilities as the judiciary branch of the government and instead choosing to pass the legendary buck to the executive branch.
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The Naga Hoho then said, “The tragic event resulted in the deaths of 14 innocent civilians and remains a painful reminder of the ongoing violence and injustices faced by the Naga people under the draconian law called Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958. “This Act allows the Indian Armed Forces to act with impunity and make war upon citizens whom they are sworn to protect, based on the flimsiest or cooked-up evidence, by giving them blanket immunity from prosecution by civilian courts,” the Naga Hoho statement also said.
The Naga Hoho also said the Oting massacre is not an isolated incident. “It is just the most recent Indian Army atrocity in a long history of oppression and suppression of the Naga people’s struggle for civil and political rights. This reign of terror includes the Matikhru massacre 1960, the Oinam bestiality of 1987, the bleak winter of rape and arson in Mokokchung-Akuluto 1994-95, the mayhem of Kohima on 1995, the murder of students in Wuzu 2015, to name a few. This monstrous list of atrocities and civilian deaths will keep on increasing so long as the ultimate caretaker of the rule of law in the land, the Supreme Court continues to protect the Armed forces from accountability for their actions,” the Naga Hoho pointed out.
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According to the Naga Hoho, the Supreme Court’s decision to terminate the case filed by the Special Investigation Team Of Nagaland Police “sends a harrowing message” that justice will remain out of reach for the victims and their families. The Naga Hoho then said it “views” this ruling as an outrage to their pursuit of justice and accountability. “The Oting massacre was a clear violation of human rights and the repudiation of the case undermines both the credibility of the judicial process and the public trust in the rule of law,” the Naga Hoho alleged.
The Naga Hoho urged upon the Government of Nagaland to not give up in its efforts to seek justice for the victims’ families in particular and the Naga people in general but to continue to explore and avail all avenues so that Justice is meted out to all the stakeholders.
The Naga Hoho further called upon all Naga civil society organizations, tribal bodies, human rights defenders, Naga political groups and every Naga citizen to stand united in “our condemnation of this gross injustice”.
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