New Delhi, Dec 6: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday told the Parliament that the Centre regrets the deaths of 14 civilians in Nagaland after a botched Army op. Shah read out statements in both Houses as opposition MPs shouted objections and demanded repeal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA.
Opposition to AFSPA and the civilians’ deaths also came from Assam, where too the law is in force. Veteran CPI(M) leader Hemen Das called it “state terrorism”. Assam Jatiya Parishad General Secretary Jagadish Bhuyan said: “GoI should scrap AFSPA and allow NE people to live as dignified citizens of the country…”
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been in force in Nagaland and parts of the northeast for several decades. Under this legislation, security forces can conduct operations anywhere the law is in effect and arrest without prior warrants.
14 villagers and a soldier died in Nagaland’s Mon district over the weekend after an Army op went horribly wrong. A police FIR has said the Army’s 21 Para Special Forces “blankly opened fire”. The Army on Sunday expressed deep regret for the “unfortunate loss of lives” and said the matter would be investigated at the “highest level”.
