DIMAPUR, APRIL 4 (MExN): The Naga Mothers Association (NMA) and the Golbal Naga Forum (GNF) have demanded repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from all Naga areas.
The Naga Mothers Association (NMA) submitted a memorandum to Nagaland Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi expressing disappointment that the AFSPA has not been repealed till date.
It expressed objection to the “selective and continued militarisation on Naga people through such extension of AFSPA, citing peaceful areas as disturbed areas.” This, it termed, is an “insult to the many years of peace making and peace keeping by the Naga mothers and other women organizations.”
The NMA condemned the killing and injury of Naga civilians at Kalegaon in Arunachal Pradesh in March 2022 by para commandos and the shooting of innocent Naga daily wagers once again in Chasa, Arunachal Pradesh in April 2022.
It demanded swift punitive action in civil court against the perpetrators as per the law. The NMA added that apologies of “mistaken identity” in all these cases are unacceptable and not tenable.
It demanded that the GoI prove its respect for Naga women and people by ensuring that uniformed Indian army perpetrators be convicted in civil courts for all these incidents as per the law. “No amount of money will ever compensate the grief, trauma and suffering of the Nagas under AFSPA for all these years,” it added.
The NMA demanded that the GoI move for repeal of AFSPA in Parliament. The ceasefires have brought much peace and therefore any peace accord signed under the shadow of AFSPA will be under duress and cannot sustain true peace, it cautioned.
GNF condemns April 1 shooting
The GNF meanwhile condemned the April 1 shooting of two Chasa villagers in Arunachal Pradesh who were coming back to their village after a day of fishing; and also recounted the killing of a former Panchayat leader in Arunachal Pradesh; and the killing of 14 civilians in Mon last year.
“No armed personnel have been criminally prosecuted for these or any of the thousands of Naga civilians murdered by the Indian army since the Disturbed Areas Act and AFSPA have been in force,” the GNF said.
The GNF stated that AFSPA “has enabled the Indian Government and the Army to use the region for two kinds of exercises: false policy propaganda for the government and military training camp for the Army.”
It said that the Indian Government has made the Army’s presence in the Northeast “look like a noble cause.” The GNF observed that this “political propaganda has been so consistent the Indian public seems to have been convinced by it.”
The GNF condemned the “repeated killings in Naga areas of Arunachal Pradesh and predictable fake encounters and mistaken identities that trash the basic human rights of the people of the Northeast.” It appealed to law enforcement agencies to book the culprits immediately.
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