• AR’s assault of student leaders hurts Naga youth, students community
• Silent Nagaland govt., told to stop lip-service and start acting
• ‘Mistaken identity’ is no excuse to torture innocents, orgs remind
• Punishment sought for AR commander, soldiers involved
• Advised against breeding hatred in public
EMN
Dimapur, June 10
After a decade of apparent peace, the horrific memories and wounds left by Indian military in the hearts of the Naga people and their history have yet again been reopened by the recent assault and alleged torture of several student leaders by troopers of the Assam Rifles on the pretext of searching for members of the armed underground group NSCN (K).
Various youth and students organization issued incensed statements on Wednesday, June 10, reminding the Indian military to try to earn the trust of the Naga population during times of conflict and that the “Friends of the Hill People” must be cautious not to open another ‘warfront’ with the civilians.
The Angami Youth Organization, Chakhesang Students’ Union, Kohima Village Youth Organization Nagaland Law Students’ Federation (NLSF) and the Northern Angami Youth Organization (NAYO) issued separate press release on Wednesday decrying the assault which occurred on June 7 in Kohima town. Personnel of the 19th Assam rifles are accused of the atrocity.
NAYO to AR: ‘Trust is earned during conflict’
A hurt Northern Angami Youth Organization (NAYO) has reminded the Indian military to remember that the trust of the Naga people should be earned in times of conflict and that they shouldn’t be picking on soft targets. The NAYO issued a statement on Wednesday, appended by their president Peter Rutsa and general secretary Kekhrie Pfukha.
The NAYO expressed deep anger that the personnel of the 19th Assam Rifles even resorted to racial taunts and verbal abuses besides the physical torture inflicted on the innocent youth during the their unjustified interrogation for over 18 hours.
“NAYO would like to enlighten the ‘Friends of the Hill People?’ that the trust and respect of Naga public can best be earned during times of conflict rather than through the various ‘military civic action projects’ and other development programs that have been initiated during periods of ceasefire,” the organization stated.
Neither the Assam Rifles or Indian army nor the “Naga army” will benefit from battles waged upon non combatants, the NAYO stated. It asserted that picking on soft targets and civilians by any military formation is a “sure sign of weak training, misguided bravado, frustration and cowardice”.
In the wake of the case, NAYO has requested the public to be aware of the reality that the five innocent Naga youths have become victims of Assam Rifles’ incompetence based on inputs given by spies. “Spies who in all probability are Nagas themselves doing it for monetary benefits, besides the usual Naga politics of persons, people and groups fishing in troubled waters!” the statement said.
The organization has requested the Assam Rifles to exercise utmost restraint during this period of uncertainty. It reminded that abrogation of ceasefire is between GOI and NSCN/GPRN (K) and does not even involve the other seven-odd underground groups.
‘Therefore, it is most illogical and foolhardy for the Assam Rifles in opening up another warfront with Naga civilians as well, the NAYO release said. Even the NSCN-K which has been labelled as a ‘terrorist organization’ has never behaved in such a manner against any Indian citizen as done by the Assam Rifles on the innocent Naga youths.
The Merangkong Senso Telongjem of Kohima (Merangkong union) has expressed shock at the inhuman act of the 19th Assam Rifles in picking up and torturing five youth throughout the night of June 7 in Kohima. Two of them were entrepreneurs, the union stated in a note issue to the media on Wednesday.
The organization stated, “These acts if picking up and torturing innocent public and then releasing them with grievous wounds and with profuse apologies claiming it to be a case of mistaken identity, highlights the inefficiency of the army and their tall claims of elite effectiveness”.
While condemning such act of “brazen human rights violations”, the union reminded that these acts will only breed hatred for the security forces among the public.
Monsenyimti Senso Kohima Union: ‘No Naga is safe in ARs’ hands’
Likewise, Monsenyimti Senso Kohima Union of Kohima has condemned the assault and described it a sheer display of barbarism by troopers of the 19th Assam Rifles led by “sadist commanders”, venting their frustration on five innocent Naga youths.
The organization stated that the so-called ‘Friends of the Hill People’ had blindfolded and assaulted the innocent victims with boots, rifle stocks and fists without even bothering to identify the victims’ credentials. The personnel also forced the victims to sign bonds under threat and duress, the union said and reminding that such acts only displayed the army’s “savagery and utter disregard for Human Rights”.
“The union is deeply disillusioned with the AR and is of the view that no Naga is safe at the hands of AR,” the release stated. It further demanded that the erring jawans be brought to book and that the “AR come out clean on the whole episode”.
The Angami Youth Organization (AYO) had has denounced the atrocity of the Assam Rifles who picked up five Naga youths from the hearth of Kohima town on the standard claim of their being “suspects” and then perpetrating physical assault, and torturing them ‘beyond tolerance’.
“Afflicting such extreme acts even after establishing the virtues of the youths will provoke situations that will be detrimental to peace and tranquility. Security Forces indulging in such unprovoked acts had bore bitter reactions in the past too, and it won’t be a distant incident for the peace loving people to stand up to defend their inherent rights if such barbaric and inhuman acts are not being immediately stop once and for all,” the AYO stated in caution.
The AYO also lamented that the administrative and security role of the government of Nagaland. “In as far as security initiatives and measures are concerned for the subjects pertaining to areas inhibited and populated by civilians’, priority operation response and actions must be addressed and reacted to by the local (state) authorities/agencies. Security operation levels and parameters of the different forces must be clearly looked and adhered with the interest of all,” the Ayo stated.
“The state government had to stop giving press condemnations on fall out incidents only. Competent and committed actions from the governments end will go a long way in securing peace and wellbeing of the subjects,” the organization stated.
The Chakhesang Students’ Union has made clear to the Assam Rifles that they cannot wash their hands off the case by stating a mere apology after torturing innocents. The victims included the president and representative of the CSU and Khutsami Students’ Union. They were detained for no fault of theirs and tortured till 4:00 am the next morning, an enraged CSU stated in the press release.
The union has appealed to all citizens to stand together to fight against these atrocities against innocents.
“The union is shocked to know of the blatant disregard of the public outcry voiced in the media by the Assam Rifles, of which they claim to be a case of mistaken identity. They cannot wash their hands off the incident with the verbal apology given to the victims, the following morning of their arrest, after physically being abused,” the union said.
“The union had learnt that the Assam Rifles had received an intelligence report stating that there were 5 NSCN(K) cadres in a red bolero carrying IED’s which was intended to be used on civilians, the report on which the concerned youths were detained”.
Alleging that three Ao youths were already apprehended, which was followed by the two Chakhesangs, the CSU questioned: ‘Were the five youths apprehended in order to fulfill the five number of persons as per the intelligence report since there were three Chakhesangs together who were returning from the hospital’.
“One was threatened and asked to leave and the other two were arrested,” the union said.
“It was unfortunate for those youths to have been present/passing by at very place and at that very time because as per the incident, the arrest were made at random and any other civilians could have ended up being victims. Had the Assam Rifles personnels that evening ‘out of concern for civilians’ done some basic enquiry as to the owner of the vehicle, and the identity of the individuals, this incident could have been avoided but this is not an isolated incident”.
The CSU cautioned that such atrocities have happened in the past and may continue to do so. “The only difference being that other incidents have not been brought to the knowledge of the public. It is the nature of the arrest and the subsequent treatment meted out to those youths that has violated of their civil rights. The rampant use of force on innocent civilians by the armed forces continues to prove their ‘high and mighty’ attitude. How can civilians feel safe when ‘security forces’ are the culprits to human rights violations?”, the organization added.
The union has asked the government to take the case and all related incidents “in all earnest and bring those guilty to justice”.
The Kohima Village Youth Organization, one of the most influential youth communities in Kohima has noted the action of the Assam Rifles. In a brief message to the media on Tuesday, the organization has termed the Assam Rifles’ act as ‘excruciating’ and as an act of ‘cowardice’
“KVYO has term the action of the 19 Assam Rifle as cowardice and excruciating. Meanwhile questioning the Motto of the Assam Riffles, KVYO further ask the higher authority to take action against the errant commander of 19 Assam Rifle and the jawans involved,” the note stated.
