Editor,
The recent killing of 14 innocent civilians by the Indian Army in Oting, Mon district, Nagaland on the 4th and 5th of December 2021 is a barbaric and cowardly act of the men in uniform under the protection of AFSPA. As per the statement of Home Minister, Amit Shah in Parliament, there were intelligence inputs that there will be movement of insurgent groups in the area and an ambush was laid by the Special Force of the Assam Rifles. When the pick-up van carrying the victims passed by ,the army signalled the vehicle to stop but it didn’t stop which led to the firing. Later on the forces realised that it was a case of mistaken identity. Looking at the statement by the HM with inputs from Home Ministry, the question arises as to why the army has to open fire on the persons occupying the vehicle even if there are insurgents on it. They could have shot at the tyres or done a blank firing for the vehicle to stop. Even the statement of the army officials looks fabricated where the report says they were innocent civilians with no arms or ammunitions with them while in another report it says that the victims were carrying hunting rifles.
On this matter only a serious investigation monitored by a court of law will bring out the truth. The most horrific action by the army in operation as per reports of the Nagaland TV channels is that the vehicle in which the army personnel are travelling have dual registration of Manipur and Assam registration with one overlapping another. As per the reports of the said channel the army personnel after committing the crime tried to take the dead bodies to another location, strip the clothes of the victims and put on them camouflaged dress of insurgents to claim that they have killed the militant insurgent group and when they couldn’t do so they just wrapped the bodies in tarpaulin.
Such heinous crimes are being committed by men in uniform whom we as citizens expect to be our protector. I hope that justice will be given to the families who lost their dear ones in this incident and the culprits are punished. May God grant eternal rest to all who lost their lives and console their loved ones
Yours etc.,
J. Warjri
Shillong -3
Water tanks turn architectural marvels
Editor,
Even with the incumbent MLA returning after every election from this constituency, water scarcity is an intractable issue in the Greater Laban area of the town. There are a number of suburbs that receive little or no water, such as Harisabha, Howell Road, ABP Road, and Sylhety Para (East Laban), to name a few. In Harisabha, a borewell was dug some years back near the community water tank off the Harisabha Temple, but this has been a non-starter from the very beginning. An additional RCC tank has been constructed adjacent to the British-era metallic tank, but it appears to be empty all year round. Additionally, there are notorious plumbers in the area. It is no better on Howell Road, either, where residents are collecting water from leaking pipes and neighbours who have a personal borewell.
The community water tank in Sylhety Para is more or less a showpiece whereas the road becomes a river where the water is actually gushing. The local MLA goes for inspection of the numerous public welfare works that he has undertaken in the constituency frequently, as we have seen in this daily. The people in this constituency are even aware of the number of water tanks constructed in different suburbs and how many of them have water inside them to quench the thirst of households. These tanks can at best be classified as “architectural marvels”. As a matter of fact, the issue of water scarcity has never been addressed in this constituency. Even though this urban constituency is seeing a lot of infrastructure development work, there has been little in the way of adequate water supply to each homeowner. When can we expect a concrete solution in this regard?
Yours etc.
BC Paul
Shillong – 4
Fixing Intelligence
Editor
The botched-up counter insurgency operation in Nagaland’s Mon district exposed the grave failure in of intelligence gathering and dissemination. This has added a blot to the peace process which still awaits the region. Security elements in the Northeast armed with the draconian AFSPA have failed to put weight on winning the support of the populace which is the central theme for any counter-insurgency program.
Intelligence sharing to vetting is a dilemma for some forces, often ending up in a tussle between departments. From the 9/11 terror attack to 26/11 Mumbai long delays in acting on actionable intelligence have proved fatal and the lessons have still not been learnt. Taking a leaf out of the book ‘Operation Dark Heart’ by Anthony Shaffer, the Predator drone program was counterproductive at times creating more enemies around the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
Keeping in mind the claw of the Chinese dragon over Northeast India counter-insurgency commanders in the Northeast should have the same bearing such as Lt Gen. (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain who once served in Kashmir using the ‘Hearts and Minds’ approach and the use of technology similar to the Blue Force tracking system allowing situational awareness in complex environments. The road ahead is steep and it is high time for officials who are watching this part of the world to read, “Understanding India’s Northeast: A Reporter’s Journal,” by Rupa Chinai.
Yours etc.,
Christopher Gatphoh,
Shillong-10
River pollution
Editor,
A recent study has found that hydrogen sulphide released from the black waters of the Yamuna has a more corrosive impact on the Taj Mahal than sulphur dioxide emitted by the factories in Agra. The stink that comes from the Yamuna is caused by hydrogen sulphide. It is likely that this gas is behind the discolouration of the Taj’s magnificent white marbles.
The findings assume profound significance as the measures adopted to protect the Taj from pollution are concerned with dealing with industrial and vehicular pollution. In fact, the pollution of the Yamuna has not received much attention until recently. For a long time, discussions on tackling the discolouration of the Taj have been centred around reducing sulphur dioxide emissions on the assumption that it was the main pollutant behind the decay of the marbles. While a report of the Archaeological Survey of India had blamed Yamuna pollution for the discolouration, it viewed things in a different perspective.
The polluted Yamuna is damaging the Taj in different ways. The polluted water of the river contains hydrogen sulphide. This acidic and corrosive gas causes considerable damage to the monument. Industrial pollution causes less damage as the wind takes away the pollutants moving towards the Taj.
In the light of the findings, practical measures need to be adopted to deal with the pollution of the Yamuna. Froth in different parts of the river indicates that its pollution has reached alarming levels. The sacred river that occupies a very important role in Indian puranas must be rid of pollution. It must be cleaned and Agra’s sewage and industrial waste must be allowed into the river only after treatment. Listed as one of the seven wonders of the world and standing as India’s pride and architectural marvel, the Taj must be protected from harm. Both the Yamuna and the Taj are essential for the landscape.
Yours etc.,
Venu GS ,
Kollam