• The Nagaland Police implicates 30 Indian Army personnel in connection with the 13 civilians killed.
• Nagaland government’s special investigation team named one Army officer and 29 soldiers as suspects in the case.
• The SIT charged individuals involved in the ambush with failing to observe standard operating procedures.

The Nagaland Police implicates 30 Indian Army personnel in connection with the 13 civilians killed. It happened in the state’s Mon district on December 4, 2021. The Army opened fire in a case of “mistaken identification.”

The Nagaland government’s special investigation team (SIT) named one Army officer and 29 soldiers as suspects in the case.

The SIT charged individuals involved in the ambush with failing to observe standard operating procedures (SOPs) and engagement guidelines.

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On December 4, 2021, a contingent of the army’s counter-insurgency unit, 21 Para Special Forces, opened fire on villagers returning home in a pick-up van after working at a coal mine in Oting village in the state’s Mon district, which borders Myanmar.

They were presumably mistaken for insurgents by security forces. According to a statement released by the Army’s 3 Corps in Dimapur, the unit was conducting a counter-insurgency operation in the region after receiving information about the possible movement of NSCN terrorists (Khaplang).

The Nagaland administration has asked the Union government for permission to take action against soldiers identified in the charge sheet. The state police have also written to the defense ministry, requesting permission to take action against the soldiers in question.

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Following the incident, there is a push to remove the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act, or AFSPA, which is in effect throughout much of the state. Many believe it is the cause of the Mon district’s civilian killings.

The AFSPA gives security personnel the authority to conduct operations and arrest anyone without a warrant, as well as immunity from arrest and prosecution if they kill someone.

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A separate army team, part of the army’s court of inquiry, is investigating the incident in addition to the Nagaland government’s SIT. The Army investigation is led by a Major General who had previously visited Oting village and studied the scene to learn more about the events that led up to the disaster.