Nagaland: 13 civilians killed by security forces; 1 soldier killed as rioting breaks out

Security forces opened fire on civilians killing 13 and injuring 11 more in Nagalands Mon district in two consecutive incidents of firing the first of which was possibly a case of mistaken identity police said on Sunday One soldier also died in rioting which followedThe first firing which killed six civilians occurred when army personnel mistook coal mine workers returning home in a pickup van singing songs on Saturday evening to be insurgents belonging to the Yung Aung faction of proscribed outfit NSCN K about whose movements they had been tipped offAs workers failed to reach their homes local youth and villagers went in search of them and surrounded the army vehicles In the ensuing melee one soldier was killed and army vehicles burnt down Soldiers who fired in selfdefence killed another seven civilians said police officialsRioting spilled over into Sunday afternoon when angry mobs vandalised the offices of the Konyak Union and an Assam Rifles camp in the area The Nagaland government through a notification has banned mobile internet and data services as well as bulk SMS in the district to curb circulation of inflammatory videos pictures or textPolice said that the postmortem of the 13 killed is being conducted in Mon and feared that the number of fatalities may increase as at least two of those injured were critical and had to be evacuated to hospitals in Assam while the rest were being treated in Nagaland Ordering a Court of Inquiry into the incident Army said one of its personnel was killed and several others were seriously injured It said that the incident and its aftermath is deeply regretted and the unfortunate loss of lives is being investigated at the highest levelThe state government has constituted a fivemember Special Investigation Team SIT headed by IGP Nagaland officials said PRO Defence Kohima Lt Col Sumit K Sharma said Based on credible intelligence of likely movement of insurgents a specific operation was planned to be conducted in the area of Tiru Mon District Nagaland The incident and its aftermath is deeply regrettedChief Minister Neiphiu Rio promised a highlevel probe into the incident and appealed to all sections of the society to maintain peace Mon shares a porous international border with Myanmar where the Yung Aung faction of NSCN K is based Official sources said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief Gen M M Naravane have been briefed about the incidentSIT shall investigate the incident from all angles while a court of inquiry has been instituted against the army personnel involved Jagdish Mukhi Governor of Assam and Nagaland said in a statement while appealing for peace Rio tweeted the unfortunate incident leading to killing of civilians at Oting Mon is highly condemnable Condolences to the bereaved families amp speedy recovery of those injured High level SIT will investigate amp justice delivered as per the law of the land Appeal for peace from all sectionsHome Minister Amit Shah too tweeted his anguish and expressed deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives A highlevel SIT constituted by the State govt will thoroughly probe this incident to ensure justice to the bereaved familiesReacting to the incident Gandhi however pointed out in a post on social media This is heart wrenching GOI must give a real reply What exactly is the home ministry doing when neither civilians nor security personnel are safe in our own land West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also demanded a thorough investigation and described it as a worrisome newsIn protest against the incident the Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organisaiton ENPO urged the six tribes of the region to withdraw participation from the ongoing Hornbill Festival which is the states biggest tourism extravaganza While expressing deep sorrow and sadness over the indiscriminate firing by Indian security force where more than 10 daily wage laborers from Oting village were blatantly killed the ENPO vehemently condemn the barbaric act of the security force a release issued the organisation saidThe ENPO asked the six tribes to hoist black flags in their respective Morungs at Hornbill Festival venue Naga Heritage Village in Kisama near the state capital against the incidentIt has to be understood by all concerned that this ordermove is not against the State Govt but to show resentment against the security forces who have committed this heinous crime and to show solidarity of the 6 tribes it said Abu Mehta advisor to the chief minister said that two minutes silence will be observed and prayers will be held at Kisama for those killed in the incidentAlso Read Mumbai school bus stir Bus owners say impossible to resume duty from Dec 15This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice 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