When Nagaland was celebrating its biggest festival, joined by hundreds of people from other states and around the world to witness the unique culture of the state, the Indian security forces killed many innocent civilians in Mon district in an alleged case of “mistaken identity”, sending the entire state into mourning. Grief replaced joy in a matter of minutes, disturbing the peaceful and jubilant environment of the state. The 10-day Hornbill Festival had to be cancelled midway, causing inconveniences to thousands of tourists who were already in the state after much planning and many in line to arrive for the remaining days but it was clear that the Naga people didn’t want to make merry whilst their fellow brothers and sisters were grieving. This is what the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) can do to peace-loving citizens anytime in the areas with “disturbed” tag, not just Nagaland. Calls to repeal this draconian law has grown louder after the Mon killings but such incidents are not new in the area and it won’t be the last until the law is revoked. There is no justification whatsoever for taking away innocent lives whether or not one lives in the area that falls within the ambit of the controversial Act. Expressing “regret” and giving ex gratia is simply not enough. Genuine remorse should be reflected in the form of tangible actions that will end loss of innocent lives in the future. For this, elements like the infamous AFSPA that gives impunity to security forces to kill any person on grounds of mere suspicion should be entirely done away with. Army personnel or any citizen for that matter, who are accused of criminal acts, should be brought to justice transparently and without delay. Such action is imperative to serve justice and to avoid tragic incidents in the future.
Effort also should be made to defuse the tense situation and restore peace at the earliest. Narratives to change the course of the incident by victimising the deceased or the public should be avoided as it will only add fuel to the fire, create more mistrust and can even instigate more violence. The high-level special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the state government to probe the case should give an impartial report within the stipulated time of one month and those found guilty should be punished according to the law of the land. The state government, which has been often accused of toeing the line of the Centre, has been vocal about its stand on the Mon incident. The legislators led by the chief minister have been standing firm with the people of the state, especially the Konyak community in this time of grief. The state Cabinet’s decision to call off the Hornbill Festival and to ask the Centre to repeal the AFSPA immediately was a necessary move. The ball is now in the court of the Indian government. It will be disturbing if the state is once again tagged as a “disturbed area” when the six months’ extension period of the law expires by the end of this month.