The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on Monday said it strongly suspected that the Oting massacre was a result of the collaboration of the central government and chief ministers of Nagaland and Assam Neiphiu Rio and Himanta Biswa Sarma respectively to derail the ceasefire and delay implementation of a negotiated settlement to the Naga issue.
“Looking at the joint meeting decisions, we strongly suspect the Oting massacre is a result of the collaboration of the Government of India and CMs of Nagaland and Assam to derail the ceasefire and delay implementation of negotiated settlement,” NPCC president K Therie said in a release.
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Rio on Sunday announced the decisions of the joint meeting of Union home minister Amit Shah, Sarma and the Nagaland delegation led by him in New Delhi on December 23 to institute a five-member committee by the Government of India to look into the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland among others.
Therie said the committee to study AFSPA has nothing to study since there is no terrorist nor any secessionist force anymore in Nagaland.
“In our understanding, AFSPA has nothing to do with justice to the Oting massacre. The application of AFSPA does not arise with peaceful people,” he said.
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Alleging that ‘now they are all trying to escape through AFSPA’, the Pradesh Congress chief said the state Congress, therefore, demanded an all-party parliamentary committee to probe the Oting incident.
However, he said, the AICC, in its wisdom, demanded a judicial enquiry commission, headed by a sitting Judge of the Gauhati High Court, because the subjects are above the spectrum of the special investigation team or court of enquiry. “They cannot enquire into their masters,” he added.
Therie recalled that an AICC delegation was prevented from meeting the aggrieved family members in Oting village but the BJP ministers did not even care to visit them.
He said the state chief minister and home minister are answerable to the people as the law and order is a state subject.
Therie asked why the 21 Para Special Force was called in to slaughter the sons of the soil of Nagaland and why the Nagaland police was kept in the dark as appeared in its FIR filed in Tizit police station against the 21 Para Special Force.
“This is why an Independent Enquiry Commission is required,” he added.