Justice through persecution must be delivered within 30 days: Konyak CSOs

Mon, December 29 (MExN): The Army Court of Inquiry’s (CoI) inspection of ‘Ground Zero’ in Oting-Yatong area where 13 of the 14 civilians were killed by security forces on December 4 has not gone down well with the Konyak civil society organisations who asserted that justice through persecution muse be delivered within 30 days. 

Following the CoI’s visit on Wednesday, the Presidents the Konyak Union (KU), Konyak Nyupuh Sheko Khong (KNSK), and Konyak Students' Union (KSU) issued a joint press release, stating that the public at ‘Ground Zero’ had “recognized some faces who were directly involved in December Oting-Yatong massacre incident.” According to the Press Trust of India report “at least three security forces personnel involved in the December 4 firing incidents were present at the spot.” 

The Konyak CSOs in their statement stated that the sanctity and the customary practices and institution of the Konyaks had been tarnished and dishonoured by their presence on “Konyak soil” and questioned why are “those culprits still safe and well protected by the Indian Military Forces,” instead of being persecuted. Terming it as “an insensitive act that is highly disappointing and unacceptable from the Military institution,” the CSOs maintained that the act of bringing them along to the incident site “seems like an intention to hurt and aggravate to those already in grief.” This violation, it said, would be dealt as per the customary norms of the Konyak.

The Konyak CSOs asserted that the Government of India must immediately sanction order for persecution of those Indian Army and officers involved in the killings and cautioned that “any moves to distort the truth shall be considered as an act against the Konyak.”

“The onus lies on the Government of India to prove whether the Konyaks are its citizens or not,” it asserted while underscoring that justice should be delivered at the earliest. “Those 21 Para Special Forces involved in the massacre of the 14 Konyak youths must be persecuted immediately,” it stressed.

The Konyak CSOs also cast doubts on the credibility of the inquiry team, stating that it was “not happy with the questions and interrogations made from those witnesses who were present at ground zero on December 4.”

While expressing its dismay over the 'snail pace' of the  Indian Judiciary system, the Konyak CSOs cautioned that “all those agencies involved should not take advantage of the so-called existing laws as implied under the Indian Judiciary system.” Justice delayed will be considered as justice denied, it added.

It also acknowledged the CoI’s visit, and asserted that the visit “should not be an act to appease the victims/situations, but justice through persecution must be delivered before the public domain within 30 days.”

The Konyak CSOs meanwhile declared the Oting-Yatong massacre site as a ‘Genocide Site’ during an emergency meeting on December 27. Stating that the actual incident site should be “manned by the state security forces 24/7,” it also declared that “no remains of the December 4 incident should be moved out from the original place where it still stands.”