Our Correspondent
Kohima, Dec. 20 (EMN): Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland Y Patton, who is also the minister of Home, on Monday, said that the sentiment of the people against the continuation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the state is strong.
Initiating the discussion on matters of public importance pertaining to enforcement of AFSPA in Nagaland during the special session of the 13th the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), he said, “We do not deserve to be designated as a ‘Disturbed Area’.”
Patton pointing out that the Government of India has been declaring the entire state of Nagaland as a ‘disturbed area’ by issuing notifications every six months, and thereby keeping the provisions of AFSPA operative in the state for the past many decades.
The provisions of AFSPA, by its nature, scope and intent, gives undue and excessive powers to the security forces to take several coercive actions like search, seizure, arrest of suspected persons, and use of firearms, even to the extent of causing death, and furthermore, for all the actions that may be taken by the personnel of the security forces, there is a great deal of immunity provided to them, said Patton.
“Such being the position, has expectedly, and as seen by everyone of us; has led to many instances of gross abuse by the members of the security forces over the years, the most recent being the ghastly firing incidents in Oting-Tiru village area of Mon district which led to the loss of life of 14 (fourteen) of our beloved Konyak brothers,” he said.
Patton asserted that it is not that the state have not been opposing the imposition of AFSPA in the state; the government has been consistently opposing its extension when the Centre seeks its opinion.
Further, he maintained that all the Naga political groups are in ceasefire with the government of India for many years now besides “the ongoing peace talks are proceeding in the right direction giving hope of an early solution to the Naga political issue”.
The government of India, however, has been extending the notification declaring our State as a ‘disturbed area’ based on its own assessment, stated the BJP leader.
He also called upon all the members of the House to unitedly call upon the government of India to see the ground situation, listen to the voice of the people and withdraw AFSPA from Nagaland.