Nagalim Voice March 2022
THE INDEFENSIBLE TRUTH OF THE OTING MASSACRE
God said, “Vengeance is mine”.
The world cannot be fooled or misled by the Government of India (GoI) on the outrageous incident of Oting massacre which took place on the 4th December, 2021, in Mon district of Nagaland. It was allegedly a conspiracy deliberately planned with clearance from the top military set up of Government of India. This being the reason, the Indian civil societies and social scientists were asked to stay away from doing any professional observation to give logical comments and write ups. Such was the well planned network of conspiracy to change the narratives of the Indo-Naga political talks and the ultimate target was the Framework Agreement which was signed with much fanfare when the signing ceremony was telecast live across the world to make the world community as the living witness of the historic event.
Praise the Lord, Oting massacre will go down into the Indo-Naga history where the living Almighty God of the Naga people made His presence felt that He is omnipotent and unfathomable. The incident established two things that provoked serious pondering. Firstly, it was a well-planned conspiracy. Secondly, God fulfilled His words, “For vengeance is mine.”
How it was a well-planned conspiracy?
The claim of the Indian Army that the firing was the result of mistaken identity was an unacceptable excuse and misleading. How can it be? Who will believe them? The Para military commandos are well trained and specialized in mountain encounters of various situations. Oting village was never a hyper sensitive security zone or war zone that warranted ‘shoot at first sight’. The Para commandos were also well equipped and location of ambush is selected keeping in view their own safety security angles. The one vehicle bolero pick up coming with those victims could have been haul up or stopped at gun point and order to hands up to ascertain their identity. But no such tactical approach was adopted. There is, therefore, no clinching evidence to show that the Oting incident where six innocent coal mine laborers were killed was a case of mistaken identity.
The second burst of bullets killing seven people was due to unearthing of the six dead bodies killed earlier, found in army vehicles, wrapped with polythene. The Indian army personnel were also in the process of putting camouflage uniforms on the dead bodies. The Para commandos frantically went looking for those who run away and hide in the huts and jungle and shot them death. If it was a mistaken identity the army need not put camouflage uniforms on dead bodies or shoot down another seven people. Media reports emanating from the India army headquarters said that the vehicle in which the coal mine laborers were travelling refused to stop.
This fabricated report was picked up by Union Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah as he gave a misleading statement on the floor of the Indian Parliament. For the Nagas in general and for the Oting people in particular, such a statement is as ridiculous as it was insulting.
To support Amit Shah’ statement, is the army ready to produce video clips or other evidences to indicate the point of time and place that shows security formation- whether they were in a frisking position or ambush position or patrolling position? According to the two living eye witnesses who survived the ambush they were never asked to stop but suddenly volleys of bullets targeted them.
The claim that National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (Yung Aung)/NSCN-K (YA) were moving in Oting village was unfounded. These areas are dominated by other groups. There is absolutely no chance for NSCN-K (YA) to come and operate in Oting village or areas.
The version of intelligence network failure is also misleading. There are various agencies to do the job and coordination for the confirmation from the state administration of Special Branch or Intelligence Bureau (IB) or Military Intelligence (MI). In the most sensitive border areas also such incidents never took place. Why put the version of intelligence failure in the peaceful areas after killing 14 innocent people?
Unless there is a clearance from the top to execute such a high profile ambush, no army unit or company will carry out such an unfortunate drastic action. Soldiers follow the order and not the rules or law. There are many questions and we need to find out the factual answer.
The inquiry committee of the center or state or Indian army may focus to neutralize the situation but justice report is not expected. It would be just an eye wash reports. One thing is clear that the committee cannot go against the government and the laws. So, how do we expect justice to be delivered?
The better options left is the people’s protest should be strong and continue till the demand is met and justice delivered. The demand should be to repeal/scrap the AFSPA by an act of the Parliament. The demand for withdrawal would mean to withdraw the act from application in the areas for certain period but the Act remains alive and could apply any time again.
There is nothing to doubt that the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) of 1958 is the root cause. But the hidden agenda of the GoI behind the inhuman action is definitely connected to the on-going Naga political issue.
The Indo-Naga political talk spearheaded by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) is in a very critical situation. Mr. RN Ravi has damaged the whole process. His interpretation that the Framework Agreement (FA) is within the Indian constitution is considered as a betrayal to the agreement. He also misinformed and misled the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the National Security Advisor, including the Parliamentary Standing Committee. He successfully divided the Nagas by signing another agreement known as the “Agreed Position”.
The Naga flag and the constitution (Yehzabo) are the component ingredients of the Framework Agreement which recognized the uniqueness of the Naga history and its position as the Nagas were never a part of the Union of India either by conquest or consent. This political agreement also says cognizant of the universal principle that in democracy sovereignty lies with the people. It was agreed that the sharing of sovereign power shall be defined in competency for the coexistence of new relationship between the two entities. The Framework Agreement naturally embraced and embodied itself Naga flag and the constitution.
The GoI regretted having signed this agreement in the presence of the Prime Minister, Home Minister, NSA, Chief of Indian Army and other high dignitaries. The GoI cannot simply disown the Framework Agreement and is allegedly trying to find pretext to sabotage the peace agreement. The Oting incident is totally in violation of the agreed Cease Fire Ground Rules (CFGRs). It is a well-planned conspiracy hatched by the GoI to put off the ceasefire and burry the Framework Agreement like that of the Nine (9) Points Agreement.
Furthermore, the GoI’s calculated move to enforce its policy of suppression of the Naga political issue is being witness day by day.
The Naga people responded to the Oting killing by organising a mass protest to urge the GoI to repeal the AFSPA. What has come as a big insult to the Naga people is that, the GoI took no time to issue notification on the 30th December, 2021 declaring the whole of Nagaland state as disturbed areas enforcing the AFSPA in spite of having peace talks with all the Naga political groups.
How the world media responded to Oting massacre?
The New York Times:
Quoting from Toshi Ao, a Naga law professor at the University of Delhi, it said “The state had been slowly recovering from decades of unrest and that it had started to attract tourists as more peaceful conditions prevailed in recent years.”
“The people were trying to move ahead, but the incidents like these resurface the history of atrocities committed against the civilians in memory,” the professor said.
“It was a big mistake on the part of the security forces,” he added.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News:
Soldiers opened fire on a truck of village labourers, mistaking them for militants.
At least 14 civilians and a member of the security forces were killed in Nagaland state on Saturday night (4th December, 2021), after Indian security forces mistook a group of labourers for militants and opened fire.
“Let the world know our grief and sorrow, and may our voices of protest be heard against the continuing militarization and killing under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act,” said Abeiu Meru, the President of the Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA).
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News:
An army patrol mistakenly opened fire on miners returning home after work, killing six. Seven more civilians and an Indian soldier died when angry locals confronted the troops.
But this is not the first time the Indian security forces have been accused of wrongly targeting innocent locals in their operations.
IWGIA and AIPP:
The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) unequivocally condemned the blatant disregard for the human rights of the indigenous peoples in Nagaland in the recent extrajudicial killings of fourteen (14) civilians by the Indian security forces during an operation in Oting under Tizit sub-division of Mon district in the North-eastern state of Nagaland, India, and in clashes following the first encounter.
The Nagaland Police has alleged a possible cover-up by the security forces, and the dressing of the bodies in khaki clothes confirms it. In a suo-moto first information report, the police have charged the 21st Para Regiment unit with murder. What is it that enables the paramilitary power to carry out such inhuman extra judicial killings of civilians? And what does this say about the state of India’s democracy?
We demand that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) be repealed to put an end to this culture of extra-judicial killings in the region.
The IWGIA and AIPP expressed their condemnation of senseless state sponsored violence and apathy towards the people of Nagaland. “We express our deepest condolences and solidarity to the bereaved communities in this dark hour”.
The Nagas had predicted the speedy vengeance from Heaven:
No wonder, nothing escaped from the eyes of God. Two days after the Oting massacre, it was allegedly learn that Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was travelling to Tamil Nadu to meet RN Ravi to discuss on the strategy to handle the Naga issue as the Government of India was getting restless. He was in Mi-17V5 helicopter which is considered one of the “safest” helicopters. But midway, the safest helicopter crashed in the jungle killing thirteen (13) on the spot and one (1) died later.
In the Oting incident, 13 people were spot death and 1 died later.
As same as the Oting incident, CDS Bipin Rawat incident had 13 deaths on the spot and 1 died later.
God’s way of giving justice is instant sometimes. God show justice to the Naga people to show that He is a living God. Men may try to hide but He had His vengeance. His words never fail.
Who can deny that God’s hand is not involved which led to the helicopter crash killing the exact number as Oting. No doubt we believe that the Oting incident was made to happen with clearance sanctioned from the CDS.