New Delhi: Hours after hundreds of Nagaland people bid an emotional farewell to the 14 civilians killed in a botched-up operation by the security forces in Mon district on December 4, Congress said that a delegation will visit the violence-hit state on Wednesday.
Speaking about the same, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that a Congress delegation will visit Nagaland tomorrow to meet the families of those who died in an anti-insurgency operation that went awry in the Mon district on Saturday.
According to reports, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi has formed a four-member team to visit Nagaland and submit a report on civilians' death within a span of one week.
The party has questioned the failure of security agencies to differentiate unarmed civilians from hardcore militants and has also demanded a probe and detailed statement by the Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
TMC Delegation To Meet Amit Shah On Wednesday
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) Parliamentary delegation has sought an appointment with Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Nagaland violence. According to reports, TMC leaders will meet Shah at around 3.45 pm on Wednesday.
The delegation will hand over a memorandum, which among others, seeks compensation for the families of the citizens killed in Nagaland and asks the government to clarify its position on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), sources close to news agency PTI informed.
Nagaland Violence
The first incident in which six civilians were killed took place on Saturday evening when army personnel mistook coal mine workers returning home in a pick-up van to be militants belonging to the Yung Aung faction of the banned outfit NSCN(K).
As workers failed to reach their homes, local youth and villagers went in search of them and surrounded the army vehicles. In the ensuing melee, a soldier was killed and several army vehicles burnt down. This further led to the killing of seven more civilians after soldiers opened fire in self-defence.
According to Police, the rioting continued even a day after when angry mobs vandalised the offices of the Konyak Union and an Assam Rifles camp in the area, setting fire to parts of the camp.
One more civilian was reportedly killed, as security forces fired back at attackers, taking the total death toll to 15.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army has ordered a court of inquiry headed by an officer of major general rank into the Nagaland incident.
In Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Central government regretted the deaths of the 14 civilians in the unfortunate incident and offered condolences to families of those killed. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met senior ministers to discuss the issue.