Naga tribe issues 5 demands after death of 14 civilians in army operation

The Naga tribe has issued a list of five demands regarding immediate action against responsible defense personnel and ceasing the special powers given to the Army and the security forces within the state.

The demands came up following Union Home Minister Armit Shah's address on Monday on the death of the 14 civilians due to a botched Army operation,

The Konyak Union, the main association in the Konyak Naga Tribe from the Mon district of Nagaland, has written out a memorandum of demands which need to be met with urgency to the government.

The first demand states that an independent inquiry committee must be immediately set up under a reliable and competent investigation agency, reports NDTV.

At least two members from the Naga civil society should also be made members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), according to the demands made by the tribe.

The Union also wants all the Army personnel involved to be booked and punished according to the law of the land and that within the limit of 30 days, the details of the actions taken against the Army personnel must be put out in the public domain.

Additionally, they strongly objected to the usage of Assam Rifles from the district of Mon and the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or, AFSPA, from all of Northeastern India.

"Government of India expresses regrets over the incident and condolences to those killed... an SIT has been formed and has been directed to complete investigation in a month. The situation is tense but under control. All agencies have to ensure such incidents do not happen in the future," Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha today.

The Chief Minister of Nagaland and his counterpart in Meghalaya Conrad has also demanded the repeal of AFSPA.

The AFSPA has been in forces in the Northeastern parts for decades. Due to this legislation, operations and arrests can be made whenever the law is in effect.