SIT may get access to jawans in Nagaland op

THE ARMY’S INQUIRY TEAM COULD RECORD THE STATEMENTS OF ONLY TWO WITNESSES, AN OFFICIAL SAID ON WEDNESDAY

KOHIMA: An Indian Army team probing the killings of 13 civilians in a botched operation in Nagaland’s Mon visited the spot on Wednesday, but could question only two people, even as the force allowed a special investigation team (SIT) of police to collect statements of jawans involved in the incident, people aware of the matter said.

Protests erupted in the state after 13 civilians were killed by soldiers who appeared to have mistaken them for militants in Oting village of the district on December 4. A jawan died in retaliation by locals, and a day later, another civilian was killed when security personnel opened fire at a mob that vandalised an army camp.

While the state government formed the SIT after the incident for a speedy probe, the army formed a court of inquiry into the incident that it called highly unfortunate.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the SIT will be able question the jawans involved in the incident or only prepared statements will be shared with the team, a government official said, asking not to be named. A date has not been decided, the official added.

On Wednesday, the army’s inquiry team could record the statements of only two witnesses – Nyawang Konyak, who is also the Mon district president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Lewang, a village guard, according to an official, who asked not to be named.

A local, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that others, including people from the village where the incident happened, refused to meet the army team.

The army team was at the Tizit police station for about two hours but only two witnessed visited the facility to record their statements, the local said.

“Around 20 of them (army inquiry team) came to Tiru today where the killings took place and they took my statement along with village guard Lewang’s. I am not satisfied with their approach. I told the army team everything that transpired that day. I have also asked them to take back their statement which was presented in Parliament by (Union home minister) Amit Shah that army personnel had fired only when the vehicle in which the villagers were travelling did not stop