Konyak Union condemns an Assam Rifles operation in Mon district, alleging wrongful arrest of a Namthai village leader and raising AFSPA concerns.
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DIMAPUR — The Konyak Union (KU) has strongly condemned a joint operation allegedly carried out by the 20 Assam Rifles and the 166 Territorial Army in Namthai village under Mon district, alleging wrongful arrest of a village leader.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the union said the operation, carried out around midnight on April 22, led to the arrest of Shaopa Konyak, Village Council Chairman of Namthai, whom it described as “an innocent and responsible public leader”.
Terming the arrest a result of “complete intelligence failure and lack of proper verification”, the KU questioned the role of state law enforcement agencies, including Nagaland Police and the Assam Rifles units stationed in the area, for what it called lack of prior knowledge of the operation.
It further raised concerns over the conduct of security forces under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), stating that operations carried out without coordination and adherence to procedures undermine public trust and raise questions about accountability.
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The union expressed concern over what it described as a growing trust deficit between civilians and security forces in the Naginimora–Namthai–Tiru–Tizit belt, warning that such actions could lead to incidents similar to the Oting case where 14 civilians were killed.
The KU also rejected a statement issued by security forces on April 25 claiming the arrest of three cadres of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) (ULFA-I) in Mon district. It asserted that there is no ULFA-I presence in the district and termed any such claim as baseless.
According to the union, the three individuals had reportedly entered Mon district unintentionally while attempting to surrender before Assam Police.
The KU cautioned authorities against making unverified claims that could affect the image of the district and called for accountability, transparency and responsible conduct from all security agencies operating in the region.