The 14 Tribal Hohos of Nagaland (14THN) has urged government of India to review and repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act from Nagaland so that Nagas could live peacefully without the Act as in other parts of India.
Lamenting that “enough is enough”, 14THN convenor K.T. Vilie said Nagas have been living under AFSPA for 64 years, while the Naga movement for independence was much longer even before India got its independence.
He recalled how Indian army, in 1965, destroyed and burned down almost all villages, killed thousands of innocent people and raped women. Due to fear of the army, he said villagers fled to the jungle, resulting in deaths of many, some due to wild animals but mostly due to severe starvation while some survived on wild fruits, wild leaves and barks of wood.
Vilie also said some of the innocent villagers returned to their villages from jungle in 1958, the same year when Centre had declared and imposed AFSPA. He said that no other state in India had gone through the hardship under AFSPA than Nagas. He said after the government of India and Nagas agreed to have peace talks, every Naga area became peaceful, while talks for Naga solution went on full swing. When Nagas had been longing for peace and development and expected solution to arrive soon, Vilie said the Indian army killed many innocent coalmine workers at Oting village.
He asked whether the Indian army wanted to take over Naga’s pitiful coal mine at Mon district and if not then there was no reason for killing innocent coal mining workers. Vilie also said when people were expecting proper justice, the Centre instead imposed extension of AFSPA for six months. He said though AFSPA was intended to be a shield, instead, the army uses AFSPA as a weapon and as a “ licence to kill mercilessly”.
Vilie claimed that extension of AFSPA for another six months only indicated that lives of more innocent civilians was in danger.