Oting killings: SIT inquiry report submitted to state govt

• Charges filed against 30 Para (SF) commandos in court
• Prosecution sanction from Military Affairs Dept pending
• Operation team ignored SOP & Rules of Engagement

Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 12

The Special Investigation Team that was instituted to investigate the December 4, 2021 Oting killings has submitted its report to the Nagaland government. The SIT has also filed charges against 30 members of the 21 Para (SF), who took part in the covert counter-insurgency operation.

In the botched operation, 8 persons travelling in a pickup were ambushed, killing 6 on the spot and critically wounding 2 others. The victims were civilian coal miners returning home from the coal mines in Tiru valley, Mon district. It set the stage for more violence, hours later, as angry villagers confronted the commandos, who, as widely reported, were trying to conceal the dead bodies of the 6 victims. In the deadly confrontation, 7 more civilians were gunned down, while the commandos also sustained injury, with one succumbing, as they retreated to cross the inter-state border into Assam.

The effect of the killings reverberated in Mon town the next day on December 5, in which a civilian protestor succumbed to firing from security personnel. The events of December 5 were however not covered by the terms of reference of the SIT, with its field team led by an IGP rank officer.

The part about the SIT completing its inquiry and the subsequent filing of charge-sheet was revealed by the Nagaland DGP, T John Longkumer at a press conference on June 11 in Chümoukedima. ADGP (Law and Order) Sandeep M Tamgadge, who oversaw the entire investigation, was also at the press conference, along with Commissioner of Police, Dimapur.

The DGP began with a disclaimer stating that the “unfortunate Oting incident” was in no way a reflection of the Indian Army. “However, since an offence has occurred and since law is equal for all of us, after constitution of the SIT under Government order we have completed the investigation and submitted our report to the competent court,” he said.

He did not reveal when the investigation was completed and proceeded to read out from a media handout, which appeared rather condensed. The SIT was originally given one month to complete the inquiry.

Charge filed in Mon court
The charge was filed at the District and Sessions Court, Mon on May 30. As per the DGP, 30 soldiers (1 Major, 2 Subedars, 8 Hav/THM, 4 Nk, 6 L/Nk and 9 Paratroopers) of the 21 Para (SF) were named in the charge-sheet. It was preceded by the SIT forwarding a letter to the Department of Military Affairs in early April seeking prosecution sanction. A “reminder” letter followed in May and “the sanction for prosecution is still awaited,” he said.

He termed the investigation as “professional and thorough” with the requisite evidences collected, while also requisitioning scientific investigative aids.

What the report says
According to the DGP, the SIT report noted “various observations” about the operation. “(The SIT) pointed out the need to address those issues and requested the appropriate authority for taking necessary action,” he said, stopping short of what the “issues” implied. He did add that the operation was conducted by the Alpha Team of the 21 Para (SF), who did not follow the Standard Operating Procedure and the (military) Rules of Engagement.

As spelled out by the DGP, the operation was launched on December 3 by a team of 31 commandos led by a Major, based on intelligence input about presence of NSCN K-YA and ULFA cadres in the Oting-Tiru area. The botched ambush was laid at Longkhao between Upper Tiru and Oting Village on December 4, around 4:20 pm. A white Bolero pickup, carrying 8 civilians belonging to Oting village, was fired upon “without ensuring positive identification and failing to carry out challenging procedure.”

“Investigation has revealed that the Op team had not followed the Standard Operating Procedure and the Rules of Engagement and resorted to indiscriminate and disproportionate firing leading to immediate killing of the six occupants of the vehicle on the spot and grievously injuring 2 persons.”

The second round of shooting by the Para (SF) commandos occurred around 10:00 pm.

The villagers of Oting and Tiru reached the scene at around 9:00 pm to discover the dead bodies. Violent “scuffle ensued” between the villagers and the commandos, during which, one paratrooper succumbed to injuries and 14 other members of the operation team were wounded. “This led Major to order for opening firing at around 2200 hrs and the op team started to break contact,” the DGP said of the SIT’s findings of the December 4 incident.

It also turned out that the 21 Para (SF) had also filed a police complaint on December 11, 2021 at Tizit Police Station to investigate the death of the paratrooper and assault on other personnel of the 21 Para (SF) and loss of government property. The DGP said the case is currently under investigation.

ADGP Tamgadge said that the chargesheet filed by the SIT was an exhaustive one along with a lot of other details. On other details of the investigation, he said, “It will not be correct for me to say anything on this since it is in the public domain. I can only request, if you wish to have the detail investigation, kindly approach the honourable court in Mon.”

Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/oting-killings-sit-inquiry-report-submitted-to-state-govt