Remember the Fourth of December: AFSPA must go!

December 5, 2024 7 Views No Comment

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 5 (MExN): On the third anniversary of the tragic Oting massacre, the Naga Students’ Union Delhi (NSUD) has renewed its call for the Government of India (GoI) to immediately withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from all Naga areas.

On the evening of December 4, 2021, 14 innocent civilians, including coal miners returning home after a hard day’s work, were killed by the 21 Para Special Forces of the Indian Army near Oting village in Mon district, Nagaland. The victims were unarmed, and the brutal killings continue to be a source of deep grief for their families and the Naga community. Despite the gravity of the crime, the personnel responsible remain free from prosecution, a press statement issued by the Information and Publicity Naga Students’ Union, Delhi stated.

Condemning the role of AFSPA, which grants the military sweeping powers, including the ability to shoot to kill, without accountability for their actions, the union described AFSPA as “draconian,” accusing it of legalizing military lawlessness and enabling military excesses.

The NSUD pointed out that legal proceeding against the personnel involved in the Oting killings were quashed by the Supreme Court of India on September 17, 2024. The union also highlighted that Mon and several other Naga regions continue to be designated as “disturbed areas” under AFSPA, a designation that has been in place for several decades.

The NSUD also criticized the premise on which AFSPA is based—the claim that violence has become “a way of life” in India’s Northeast. The union argued that this rationale unjustly targets the Naga people, ignoring the deeper political issues at play. The ongoing unrest in Naga areas, it argued, is a result of the Indian government’s failure to address the longstanding Indo-Naga political dispute.

In its appeal, the NSUD urged the Government of India to reconsider its decision not to grant prosecution sanction against the military personnel responsible for the Oting killings and to withdraw AFSPA from all Naga areas without delay.