Description
The Center has refused to sanction 30 members of the military who were allegedly involved in a failed counter-insurgency operation in Nagaland in December 2021, which killed 14 youths, according to state police. The army men were named in an indictment brought by a Nagaland Special Investigation Team (SIT) that investigated the shootings in Nagaland's Mon district. "The relevant authority (Department of Military Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Government of India) has expressed its refusal to grant sanctions for the prosecution of the 30 accused," a Nagaland Police statement said.
The denial of a sanction by the Union Defense Ministry has been referred to a court, police said on Thursday.
On December 4, 2021, six local coal miners from the Tiru-Oting area of Mon district were killed by soldiers of the 21st Indian Army Para Special Forces. The army, which fired on a van carrying the miners, said it had mistaken identity. Shortly after the incident, angry villagers set two security vehicles on fire, prompting another round of gunfire from the forces, killing at least seven villagers and one security staff member. Amid tensions and protests, another young Naga was shot dead the next day by security forces in the town of Mon.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by the Nagaland Police Chief, investigated the incident and on 24 March 2022 applied to the Union Ministry of Defense for permission to prosecute the military.
The SIT submitted the names of 30 21 Para Special Forces personnel in their indictment in court on May 30, 2022. The charges against them included murder, attempted murder, and destruction of evidence. The SIT said the miners were "shot with a clear intent to kill."
Legal sanction from the Center is required to take any action against security forces for their actions in the performance of their duties under various laws, including the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which grants power forces widespread in troubled regions.
The army has also established an independent court of inquiry into the incident, ensuring action against anyone found guilty. However, the army said it could take no action as the case was before the Supreme Court.
On 19 July, the Supreme Court stayed all proceedings in the case after the wives of the accused security force members called for it to quash the Nagaland Police FIR (First Information Report) and the SIT report. .
