Centre denies sanction to prosecute 30 army personnel for Nagaland firing incident

New Delhi (India), April 14, 2023: The Union Defense Ministry has denied legal sanction to prosecute 30 army personnel accused of being involved in a botched counter-insurgency operation in Nagaland, in which 14 young men were killed.

The army personnel was named in a charge sheet filed by a Nagaland Special Investigation Team (SIT) that investigated the firing in Nagaland’s Mon district. The charges against them included murder, attempted murder, and destruction of evidence.

On December 4, 2021, six local coal miners were killed by soldiers of the 21 Para Special Forces of the Indian Army, who claimed it was a case of mistaken identity. The incident sparked off another round of firing by the forces, in which at least seven villagers and one security personnel were killed.

Amid tension and protests, another Naga youth was killed in firing by security forces in Mon town the next day. The denial of legal sanction by the Centre has been conveyed to a court by the Nagaland police.

The Center’s legal sanction is required to initiate any action against security forces for their actions while discharging duties under various laws, including the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which gives the forces sweeping powers in troubled regions.

The army had set up an independent court of inquiry into the incident, assuring action against anyone found guilty. However, the army said it could not take any action as the case was before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court paused any proceedings in the case on July 19 after the wives of the accused security forces personnel requested it cancels the Nagaland police FIR (First Information Report) and the report of the SIT.