SHILLONG, Dec 9: Several civil society organisations gathered here on Thursday in protest against the killing of civilians at Oting village of Nagaland’s Mon district by the security forces recently. The protest was spearheaded by the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU).
The barbaric act has irked not only the people of Nagaland but provoked the entire North East to press for the repeal of the Armed Force Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
Expressing the desire to be free from the shackles of age-old AFSPA, members of Assamese Students’ Union Shillong, All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), KSU, RBYF, HNYF, FKJGP, HITO, besides representatives of various Naga groups and student’s union, Twipra Student Federation as well as Shillong Law College, Karbi Students Union among others partook in a candlelight vigil thereby conveying their solidarity in the demand for the repeal of the ‘draconian’ law.
Lighting candles and holding placards, the protesters, cutting across religion and community, gathered at the venue near Civil Hospital to condemn the Nagaland killings.
Leaders of these organisations took turns to speak against the killing of people in Nagaland and the repeal of AFSPA.
Few of the placards at the event read, “We stand with the Nagas of Mon District”, “AFSPA 1958- A license to kill”, “Repeal AFSPA”, “Remove all military establishment in Shillong”.
“We are protesting against the killing of the people in Oting village by security forces which resulted in the death of 14 innocent people and injuries to others and also to express solidarity with the people of Nagaland who are facing the pain due to the barbaric action carried out by security forces,” said NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa.
He added that repeated appeals for repealing AFSPA from the region have fallen on deaf ears, and that the sit-in aims to press for the same.
On government’s ‘inaction’ on the demands, he said, “This shows the mindset and attitude that the Government of India has against the indigenous people of the North East”.
Appealing the Centre to repeal the Act, he said, “If the government of India does not want to listen to the voice of the people but want to suppress it through the might of the military, then it will only further alienate the indigenous people of the North East from mainland India”.
