OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh unit of Nationalist People's Party (NPP), while condemning the killing of 13 civilians by security forces in Nagaland's Mon district, has demanded for immediate repeal of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).
"The recent incident of ambush by security forces, leading to the massacre of 13 innocent unarmed civilians near Oting village in Mon district of Nagaland paints an atrocious, heart-breaking picture," NPP state party president Mutchu Mithi said in a statement here.
Offering heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, the party demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice immediately. "This is a stark reminder of how armed forces have with impunity misused AFSPA as a repressive tool to enforce a reign of systemic widespread terror on citizens of NE, disrupting every peace process. AFSPA must be repealed," Mithi said.
Meanwhile, the Tirap Changlang Longding Peoples Forum (TCLPF) also condemned the security forces for gunning down the innocent civilians in Nagaland. "The security personnel responsible for the heinous crime must be brought to justice and punished as per the law," the forum said in a release.
It appealed to the Centre to provide ex-gratia relief to the next of kin of the victims, apart from taking additional compensatory measures. Members of the forum and the people of the three districts expressed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and offered prayers for speedy recovery of those injured in the incident.
Longding-based Wancho Students' Union also expressed shock over the killing of the civilians by security forces, and expressed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
"Our union strongly condemns the brutality and disproportionate force used by law enforcement authorities, which led to the loss of many innocent lives and we demand that those responsible for such atrocities be held accountable under law," the union said.
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