CMs of Nagaland, Meghalaya demand repeal in wake of civilian killings

Following the death of civilians by the Indian Army in Nagaland, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio urged that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) be repealed in the state, claiming that the law had soiled the country's reputation.

"I have spoken to Union Home Minister, he is taking the matter very seriously. We have given financial assistance to affected families. We are asking the Central government to remove AFSPA from Nagaland. This law has tarnished the image of our country," Rio said after attending the funeral of civilians killed in the firing incident at Oting village in Nagaland`s Mon district.

Rio de Janeiro launched a high-level investigation into the reported murders of citizens on Sunday.

Conrad Sangma, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, has also urged that AFSPA be removed from the northeast.

Sangma tweeted, "AFSPA should be repealed."

Opposition parties in Assam have joined the call for the AFSPA to be repealed. President of the Raijor Dal, Akhil Gogoi, condemned the shooting in Nagaland's Mon region and urged the arrest and punishment of all those involved.

He further urged that the incident be investigated by the National Investigation Agency and that the occurrence be classified as a terrorist attack.

The congressman added in a video statement broadcast on social media, "We have been seeing the army committing such excess on innocent civilians in the northeast region in the name of counter-insurgency operations."

"The armed forces work under the cover of the AFSPA in the region and do not have to face any court of law. It conducts its own internal enquiry and the people do not get to know whether a case reached its logical conclusion or not," Gogoi added.

"(The) Nagaland killings are a caricature of the Indian Govt. Revoke AFSPA," Gogoi also wrote on Twitter.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the head of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), too took to Twitter to express his opposition to AFSPA.

"It's sad to watch citizens being gunned killed by the very forces that were supposed to protect them," he tweeted, condemning the Mon fire incidents. I urge that #AFSPA be repealed in the #NorthEast, particularly in #Nagaland."