2021 Nagaland killings

On the evening of 4 December 2021 at around 4:00–5:00 p.m. IST, a unit of 21 Para Special Forces[1] ambushed an open-bed pickup truck—carrying civilians from Oting village (26°50′42″N 94°57′27″E) who were returning from a coal mine at Tiru—and opened fire.[7][8][9] Six people died, and two received serious injuries.[8]

The Army claims to have been the victim of an intelligence failure; they had suspected the vehicle to contain Naga insurgents.[8][10] They further claim to have only opened fire when instructions to the vehicle to stop were not followed.[11] The two survivors reject the claims, as did Nagaland Police upon a preliminary inquiry.[12][13]

Neighboring villagers—apprehensive about the gunshots and villagers who were yet to return back—soon arrived at the scene and intercepted a convoy of military vehicles; the troops claimed to be reinforcements who were shifting "injured people" to hospital and feigned ignorance about why the pickup truck stood splattered with blood.[14][15][16] Subsequently, they were found to be transporting the dead to their base camp while also trying to change the attire of the deceased, evidently to stage an encounter.[17][15][18][16]

In the ensuing melee, tires of army vehicles were punctured, and three vehicles torched; in accompanying gunfire, seven civilians were killed and twenty injured.[7][17][19] The Indian Army claimed troops were attacked by machete-wielding villagers and opened fire only under compulsion, as one infantryman was dead and others injured.[14][20] Villagers rejected the claims and accused the Army of indiscriminate shooting.[14][15] Nyawang Konyak, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s district unit claimed to have been fired at by Indian army soldiers despite his vehicle displaying a party-flag.[14][21]

The following day, the Government of Nagaland imposed Section 144 in Mon District to restrict public assembly and movement; mobile internet and bulk SMS services were indefinitely suspended.[11] Despite, public protests were organized — hundreds of men entered into a local camp of Assam Rifles in Mon Town during which one more civilian was killed.[11][22]

The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), which represents six tribes, withdrew from the ongoing annual Hornbill Festival.[11] The Nagas hoisted black flags on all its morungs at the festival while the Konyaks decided to have its cultural troupe abstain from participating at the festival. This was followed by the other Naga cultural troupes also abstaining on 5 December. Two minutes of silence were also observed at the venue on the same day.[23][24] Later on the evening of 5 December, the people of Kohima observed a power blackout for 30 minutes to mourn the death of the civilians.[23][24] Candlelight marches were organised in Kohima, Dimapur and other towns on the same day.[11] A six-hour shutdown was also called by the Naga Students' Federation.[25][26] On 7 December, the Government of Nagaland announced that it would suspend all activities at the Hornbill Festival.[27]

Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs of India, regretted the killings before the Parliament—which was in session—, and tasked a Special Investigation Team to complete an enquiry within a month; however, he reiterated the narrative of Indian Army in toto.[20] The opposition staged a walkout in protest and later, condemned the government preventing political from accessing the area.[28][29]

Even members of the state BJP unit and its political allies reject Shah's narrative — party president Temjen Imna Along held the event to be "summary execution as well as genocide."[28][29][30] The local village council has since issued an informal ban on Indian Army entering into the village.[16]