The killing of 13 civilians at Oting village in Nagaland’s Mon district on December 4 was followed by two rare instances in Northeast’s long tryst with counter-insurgency operations. First: army was quick in admitting that the killings and its aftermath was “deeply regrettable.” Secondly, two chief ministers (Nagaland and Meghalaya), both heading government with the ruling party (BJP) as ally, bluntly hit at the `root of such killings’: the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA).
Published 12 December 2021, 00:52 IST