DIMAPUR — The village of Oting in Mon district
will observe a “Black day” on December 4 and the 5th to commemorate the third
anniversary of the killings of 14 Konyak men by Indian armed forces.
Thirteen civilians were killed on December 4, 2021, in a
“botched” counter-insurgency operation and one more civilian died in subsequent
violence in Mon headquarters.
A village elder told this newspaper that a candlelight vigil
will also be held at 4 pm, at the site of the incident.
Meanwhile, in a statement released on Tuesday, the Global
Naga Forum (GNF) condemned the killings as a “heinous crime” committed under
the protection of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).
“Adding insult to injury, the Union Home Minister
shamelessly dismissed this massacre in the Parliament as an act of ‘mistaken
identity,’ an explanation that defies justice and humanity. Furthermore, the
rejection by the Supreme Court of India of the petition filed by the Nagaland
government for the prosecution of the culprits reflects a systemic failure to
hold those responsible accountable. Such actions not only disregard the pain
and loss endured by the victims’ families but also perpetuate a culture of
impunity,” it said in the statement.
The GNF statement extended condolences to the victims’
families, emphasising that their grief remains compounded by the government’s
failure to deliver justice.
“As we remember the lives of the innocent taken on that
fateful day, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to stand with the families
in their quest for truth and justice,” it said.
Stating that the “Oting massacre reminds us of the urgent
need to repeal AFSPA, a law that has long inflicted violence and oppression on
the people of Nagaland and the Northeast”, the GNF urged Indian citizens and
institutions to demand accountability and justice for the victims.
