Nagaland Killing: Govt regrets 'unfortunate' firing, agencies asked to prevent a repeat, Amit Shah tells LS

Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah (Illustration: Suneesh K)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on December 6 that the government regretted the “unfortunate” incident in Nagaland in which 14 people, including a security personnel, died.

Calling the incident a case of “mistaken identity”, Shah said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to probe the matter and it will submit report within a month. He also said all agencies have been asked to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future.

"The government of India expresses deep regret over the unfortunate incident in Nagaland and also expresses deep sympathies to the bereaved families,” Shah said in a brief statement in the Lok Sabha in which he recounted the sequence of events.
READ: Was Nagaland killings a case of mistaken identify? Here's what the Army has to say

The Opposition members started shouting, only to be overruled. Opposition MPs, except those from the Trinamool Congress, walked out in protest.

Calling the incident a case of “mistaken identity”, Shah said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to probe the matter and it will submit report within a month. He also said all agencies have been asked to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future.

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Shah said that it was later found to be a case of mistaken identity.  “The army had received info on the movement of extremists (in Oting village in Mon district). On that basis, 21 commandos laid an ambush in a suspected area. A vehicle reached there, it was signalled to stop but it tried to flee. On suspicion of the vehicle carrying extremists, it was fired upon,” Shah said.

Earlier Opposition had demanded a statement by the Home Minister and Defence Minister on the incident. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi called the incident a “black day” in the state’s history and blamed “inaccurate intelligence” for it.
Also, read: Nagaland killings: Faulty intelligence may have caused botched army operations

Security forces opened fire on civilians, killing 14 and injuring 11 more in Nagaland’s Mon district in three consecutive incidents of firing, the first of which was possibly a case of mistaken identity, the state police had said on December 5. One soldier also died in rioting which followed.

The first firing which killed six civilians, occurred when army personnel mistook coal mine workers returning home in a pick-up van singing songs on Saturday evening, to be insurgents belonging to the Yung Aung faction of the banned outfit NSCN (K), about whose movements they had been tipped off.
Also read | Nagaland killings: Faulty intelligence may have caused botched army operations

The Nagaland government on December 5 announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the 13 people killed in firing by security forces.

The high-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the matter is led by an IGP-level official, according to an official statement. The state government has condemned the incident, Nagaland Chief Secretary J Alam said in the statement.Also read | Security forces gun down 11 civilians in Nagaland, Army calls it 'unfortunate'

The Home Minister said that the government was  monitoring the situation. "MHA immediately sent Additional Secretary incharge of the northeast to Kohima where he today held a meeting with the Chief Secretary, other senior officials & senior officials of the paramilitary forces. The situation was reviewed in detail," he said.

"It has been decided that all agencies should ensure that such unfortunate incidents do not take place again in the future while taking up such drives," he said.