New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday assured appropriate action against those responsible for the killing of 14 civilians by security forces in Mon district of Nagaland on December 4. 


While addressing a press conference ahead of the Army Day, Naravane said that appropriate action will be taken based on the report of the inquiry into the matter.


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In the wee hours of December 4, a unit of the '21 Para Special Forces' organised an ambush on suspected NSCN (K) Yung Aung faction cadre near Tiru village, Mon district, and instead of gunning down the suspected militants, it killed eight civilian miners belonging to Oting village who were returning home in a pickup truck. 


Following a retaliation by locals, more civilians and a jawan were also killed. 


"The regrettable incident that occurred in Oting, Nagaland on December 4 is being thoroughly investigated. We remain committed to the security of our countrymen, even during the conduct of operations," Army chief said. 


Naravane also added that inquiry report into December 4 Nagaland incident is expected to come out in a day or two.


Earlier Army had said that probe into the incident is progressing expeditiously and all efforts are being made to conclude it at the earliest.


Several Naga civil society organisations demanded that the Nagaland government make public the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by it to probe into the killing of 14 civilians by security forces. 


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According to reports, the SIT has submitted a preliminary report to the government.


Thirteen of the 14 people killed by army personnel on December 4 and 5 belonged to the Konyak tribe, one of the major tribes of Nagaland. They were killed in three consecutive episodes of firing by security forces, the first of which has been claimed to be a case of mistaken identity.


Regretting the death of the civilians, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Lok Sabha that security forces fired in self-defence.