Amit Shah lied to Parliament on Nagaland killings: Congress

Party demands Home Minister’s resignation and inquiry by a Gauhati High Court judge

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is seen at the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament.

Accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of lying to Parliament, the Congress on Sunday, presenting its report on the killing of 14 civilians at Oting village, Mon District of Nagaland, said the incident as recounted by Mr. Shah was vastly different from the truth. The Congress demanded his immediate resignation and setting up an inquiry commission under a judge of the Gauhati High Court.

Presenting a fact-finding report, party’s in-charge for Nagaland Ajoy Kumar said not a single Cabinet Minister of the Narendra Modi government visited the site of the dreadful incident. “The Home Minister, instead of visiting the spot and conveying his condolences to the people of Nagaland, went to Jaipur to address political rallies and try his hand at destabilising the Ashok Gehlot government. When he was supposed to go to the east, he went west just to serve his political purpose,” Mr. Kumar said.

The Congress had sent a four-member team comprising Mr. Kumar, Jitendra Singh, Gaurav Gogoi and Anto Antony.

He said the government behaviour in response to the December 4 killings is just another example of the step-motherly treatment meted out to the northeastern States.

Mr. Kumar said the Home Minister had told Parliament that when the para-commandos of the Army signalled the vehicle they suspected was carrying the insurgents to stop, it tried to flee. In the ensuing encounter, six of the eight occupants of the vehicle were killed. A Minister in the Nagaland government and State BJP chief have contradicted his statement, he said.

“The vehicle carrying the miners did not try to flee. In fact, there was no warning from the para commandos,” Mr. Kumar said. The incident, he said, shows the heavy-handed approach of the Minister who only a few days back was making tall claims of the northeast having returned to peace under the Modi government. “The Naga peace process is in shambles and people are suffering from the extortion tax imposed by various militant outfits.”

Mr. Kumar said the State government has announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh to the families of the deceased. The Centre has not announced or promised any compensation, he said. The Congress has demanded that the families of all deceased should be given ₹1 crore and those who were injured ₹10 lakh.