DIMAPUR: The Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) has urged the defence ministry to grant prosecution sanction, as sought by the Nagaland government, against those security forces personnel responsible for the killing of 14 civilians in Mon district last year.

Based on the prosecution sanction, the “culprits” should be booked under relevant court for trial and the action taken be brought into public domain, the ENPO resolved at a joint consultative meeting at the Konyak Union hall in Mon on Tuesday.

Reiterating its earlier demand for justice, the organisation in its two-point resolution demanded compensation to the families of the victims and to those who have sustained lifelong injuries, a release said.

In the event of delay in delivering justice as sought, the ENPO said it will take its own course of action.

Also read: ‘EVMs not tamper-free’, says Nagaland Congress chief demanding VVPAT ballot paper voting in 2023 assembly elections

In a botched-up operation at Oting village in the district on December 4, 13 civilians were gunned down by the security forces while another person was killed in Assam Rifles firing in subsequent violence in Mon town on December 5.

Army chief Gen Manoj Pandey in an interaction with journalists in New Delhi on Monday said the investigation into the December 4 firing incident in Mon district has been completed and the report is undergoing legal scrutiny.

The joint consultative meeting was held in the backdrop of the declaration of the lifting of non-cooperation towards the security forces by the ENPO on April 28.

The organisation declared non-cooperation towards the security forces in Longleng town on December 14 following the killings.

Also read: Nagaland: Probe into Mon killings complete, says Army chief

While giving brief accounts of how the ENPO had initiated ground works based on the endorsement from the organisations concerned prior to the lifting of non-cooperation, its president R Tsapikiu Sangtam said the people of Nagaland have not given up on their stand.

“With the support of other Naga brethren, we shall continue to fight for justice against the barbaric acts meted out to the innocent civilians on the fateful day of 4th and 5th of December 2021 at Oting village and Mon town respectively by the Indian security forces,” Sangtam said.

He clarified that in order to pave way for smooth physical interaction with the government of India and for arriving at a desired conclusion at the earliest, the ENPO had on April 28 temporarily lifted the non-cooperation towards the security forces. 

Bhadra Gogoi is Northeast Now Correspondent in Nagaland. He can be reached at: [email protected]