Nagaland constitutes SIT & HPEC to investigate“mass murder”

Kohima/Dimapur/Bokajan | January 4: The Government of Nagaland has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a High Power Enquiry Committee (HPEC) along with the police investigation to look into the “mass murder” of nine people.

While expressing shock and deep pain over the recovery of nine dead bodies at Pachaspura, Chumukedima, Dimapur, the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio has condemned the “heinous crime” and termed it as a “reprehensible act that is repugnant to all norms of civilized human behavior.” The bodies were recovered by the Nagaland Police (Dimapur) on Friday evening in a highly decomposed state near a stream. They were covered in plastic sheets, piled on top of each other. The Dimapur police stated that the victims had been blindfolded and shot at close range on their heads, probably a week back.

   

One of nine bodies identified
An autopsy of the bodies was conducted today at the mortuary of the Dimapur District Civil Hospital. One of the deceased has been identified as Harlongbi Engti Kathar (21) from Rongkangthir village, Bokajan, stated the Dimapur Police. The body was identified with the help of the deceased’s family members who were brought to Dimapur by civil society from Karbi Anglong.

Late Harlongbi Engti, allegedly a student of Eastern College, Bokajan, and general secretary of the Karbi Students’ Association, Bokajan branch, is stated to have come for shopping to Dimapur on December 28, after which he went missing. Late Harlongbi’s family had assumed that he might have been meeting friends for the upcoming new year due to which a missing person report was lodged in Bokajan PS only on January 1, informed sources. The family became suspicious when they read the news of the “mass murder” of nine people in Dimapur and came, along with the civil society, to identify the body. They confirmed the identity of the victim on Saturday. Some other families that have filed missing person reports in Bokajan PS on January 1, said sources, will reach Dimapur soon to identify the other eight bodies. They are all said to hail from poor families of Karbi Anglong.  

In order to investigate and inquire into the crime and “to bring the culprits to book,” the SIT and the HPEC have been constituted under the direction of the Chief Minister of Nagaland. Rio has directed that “no stones be left unturned to uncover the perpetrators of the crime and to ensure that they are apprehended and punished under the appropriate provisions of law.”

The SIT set up to investigate Diphupar PS Case No. 0001/14 U/S 302/120B IPC R/W 25 (IA) Arms Act dated 04.01.2014 will have as its team leader Liremo Lotha, IPS, DIG (Range/NAP) Kohima, while its members will be Watichuchang Jamir, NPS, Addl. SP Dimapur, Relo Aye, NPS, SDPO Dimapur and Kevisebelie, OC Diphupar PS. They have been given the responsibility to investigate the case in all aspects and submit the report at the earliest, informed an order from Director General of Police (DGP), Besesayo Kezo, IPS. The IGP (Ops) Nagaland will supervise the case and submit supervisory notes to the DGP regularly for monitoring the progress of the case with immediate effect.

The HPEC, on the other hand, will be constituted, informed the political branch of the Home Department of the Government of Nagaland, by K.N. Chishi, Secretary Justice and Law, as the convenor with its members as T. Roy, Joint Secretary (Home) and Vikiye Kenye, DC, Commissioner’s Office. A notification from Chief Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Alemtemshi Jamir, while terming the “mass murder” as “gruesome and reprehensible,” also informed of the terms of reference of the HPEC. This will include finding out: motives and reasons for the murder and the circumstances leading to the commission of such heinous crimes; whether the crime is the handiwork of individuals, groups of people or organizations; the identity of the perpetrators of the Crime; the identity of the nine deceased persons and suggest remedial measure to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.

Chief Minister, Neiphio Rio, in the meantime, has appealed to the people to “remain calm and maintain peace” and to “extend all help and assistance to the investigating agencies especially the Police.”  

Civil Society appeals for peace

Meanwhile, civil society from the region has appealed for rumours to be contained so that the situation does not flare up further. “Innocent people should not become victims because of some vested interests,” stated Khesheli Chishi, convenor of the Indigenous Women Forum of North East India. “People need to be especially careful about spreading rumours as this could flare up the hostilities,” she stated. Speculative rumours have been doing the rounds on social networking sites and “provocative” reporting in the news media has also been stated to have contributed to the worsening tide.

In this, the Karbi Anglong Peace Forum (KAPF), initiated by the Church with support from thirty civil and student organizations, has termed media reports from Nagaland as “highly inflammatory and provocative.” KAPF has appealed other organizations as well to avoid the use of “exclusive and discriminatory terms” at a time when peace is being attempted to be built.

“We request both communities to maintain peace, calm and harmony at this time,” maintained Pankaj Teron of the Karbi Human Rights Watch. Advisor to the Karbi Students’ Association, James Hanse, has reiterated the operation of “third forces” in calibrating the present conflict. “We want peace and tribal unity,” he asserted.

 

One shot dead in Bokajan

Dimapur: One young man was shot dead at around 5pm on Saturday at Karagaon area of Bokajan, Karbi Anglong. He has been identified by the Assam police as Dici Rongpi of Rongpi village, Karagaon. He was shot by “unidentified miscreants” on a motorbike, who also injured another person at the same time. The Bokajan administration went on high alert since the occurrence and an indefinite curfew has been imposed in the area.