The Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Monday "unanimously" resolved to demand the Government of India to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the Northeast, and specifically from Nagaland.

“The Nagaland Legislative Assembly unanimously resolves to demand that the Government of India repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 from the Northeast, and specially from Nagaland, so as to strengthen the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful political settlement to the Naga political issue,'' said the resolution.

The Assembly also "vehemently" condemned the massacre that took place in Oting-Tiru village area in Mon district of Nagaland on December 4 in the "indiscriminate firing" by the 21 Para Special Forces of the Indian Army in which 13 innocent people were killed, followed by killing of one innocent person by security forces at Mon town on December 5 and injuring of 35 persons.

The house further called for an apology from the appropriate authority, along with an assurance that justice will be delivered by applying the laws of the land upon those who perpetrated the inhuman massacre and upon those who are responsible for the incident.

The NLA appealed to the citizens of Mon district, its civil societies, the citizens of the State and mass based organisations to extend cooperation to the Government and its agencies in our collective efforts to demand justice, and to restore normalcy in the interest of all the citizens.

The House appealed to all sections to follow democratic norms and non-violence in "our collective endeavour towards realisation of peace and delivery of justice".

"The Naga people have been crying for peace and an early solution for the long pending Naga political issue. It is of paramount importance that the people's voice is heard and respected. The House, therefore, once again appeals to the negotiating parties of the Indo-Naga political dialogue to bring the talks to its logical conclusion by reaching a settlement that is honourable and inclusive at the earliest," said NLA.

The discussion on AFSPA during the special session was initiated by Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton.

Patton pointed out that the power and immunity has led to many instances of gross abuse by the members of the security forces, over the years, the most recent being the ghastly firing incident in Oting-Tiru village area of Mon district which led to the loss of the lives of 14 (fourteen) Konyak brothers.

He said the state government has consistently opposed the notification declaring Nagaland as a “Disturbed Area” on the grounds that the overall law and order in Nagaland has been good for many years now, and on and on, many crime and other similar indicators, the situation is found to be better than many other states of the country. Further, all the Naga Political Groups are in ceasefire with the Government of India for many years now. In addition, the ongoing peace talks are proceeding in the right direction giving hope of an early solution to the Naga Political Issue. The Government of India, however, has always been, based on its own assessment, extending the Notification declaring our State as a ‘Disturbed Area.’ Patton opined that the sentiments of the people are strongly against the continuance of AFSPA anymore in the state, that it does not deserve to be designated as a ‘Disturbed Area.’ He urged each and every Member of the House to unitedly call upon the Government of India to see the situation on the ground, listen to the voice of the people, and take the most justified and correct step by withdrawing the operation of the AFSPA, 1958 from the State of Nagaland.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in his concluding remark on the one-day special discussion on AFSPA said that there have been many instances of misuse or abuse of the provisions of the AFSPA at the hands of the security forces while carrying out their operations in Nagaland and other parts of the Northeast states, particularly in Manipur and Assam.

The latest instance of such abuse being the killing of 14 innocent civilians at Oting and Mon on the 4th and 5 of December, 2021 in Nagaland State, he added.

“We are duty bound and responsible to reflect the voice of the people and carry the aspirations of the masses. Entire Naga society has been calling for the repeal of AFSPA and that voice is at its loudest today. Even as we participate in this discussion, the entire state is eagerly waiting for the result of this special session and the contents of the resolutions we will adopt today. This House must sound the desire of the people. The desire of the people is to repeal this undemocratic and draconian law”, he said.

Subsequently, Rio urged all the members of the House to unite in one voice and send out a clear and loud message to the world that Nagas do not want to see this act anymore.

Impediments like the AFSPA must be removed so that hurdles which are in the way for lasting peace are removed, Rio further adds.

“Removing AFSPA will also contribute towards confidence building, strengthening trust and removing the feeling of alienation in the people's mind”, he said. Many legislators both from ruling and opposition voiced for repeal of the act.