Newmai News Network
Shillong, Sept 23: The North East Students Organization (NESO) today demanded the Centre to immediately sanction the prosecution of the 21 Para (SF) personnel “involved in the Oting (Nagaland) massacre” and deliver justice to the victims and their families.
“We also reiterate our long-standing demand for the complete repeal of AFSPA in the North East, a law that has no place in a democracy. Failure to do so will only deepen the cycle of mistrust and violence in the region,” NESO Chairman Samuel B Jyrwa said in a statement.
This came following the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of India regarding the “Oting massacre”.
The tragic incident, which occurred on December 4, 2021, in Mon district of Nagaland, “saw the brutal killing of 14 innocent civilians by personnel of the 21 Para (SF), a unit of the Indian Army”, said the NESO
Also read | NSF Calls for Prosecution of ‘Oting Massacre’ Personnel and Repeal of AFSPA
Despite overwhelming evidence unearthed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the Supreme Court, on September 17, 2024, reportedly closed criminal proceedings against the accused military personnel, it added.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling only compounds the sense of alienation felt by the people of the North East, especially as the court itself acknowledged that the case could proceed if the Union Government grants prosecution sanction. This bureaucratic impasse sends a dangerous signal—that the lives of civilians, especially those from the marginalized and often overlooked North East, are dispensable under the draconian cover of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA),” the NESO further added.
Also read | Naga Hoho Condemns Supreme Court Ruling on Oting Massacre, Calls for Justice and Unity
The statement then informed that time and again, NESO and its constituent units have demanded the repeal of AFSPA, a law that continues to perpetuate violence, impunity, and gross human rights violations across the Northeast.
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