Nagaland’s DGP T. John Longkumer and Commissioner Rovilatuo Mor have said in their ground report that the troops of an elite force “fired on the coal miners at random, apparently without any attempt for identification”.
The duo, camping in Mon town, outlined the Saturday shooting near Oting village in the Mon district and the subsequent clashes leaving at least 15 civilians and a soldier dead.
Their report said six of the eight coal miners returning home in a pickup truck were “ambushed and killed by the security forces [reportedly, 21 Para Special Force based in Assam] at random”.
It said the people killed were unarmed civilians working at a coal mine in Tiru Valley.
On hearing the gunshots, the villagers went to the spot as the individuals did not return home from work, the report said.
“When the villagers reached the spot, the security personnel were trying to hide the bodies of the six villagers by wrapping and loading them in a truck apparently with the intention of taking the bodies to their base camp,” it said.
“On finding the bodies in the truck, under a tarpaulin, violence broke out between the villagers and the security personnel.” As a result, the irate villagers burnt three vehicles belonging to the security personnel, and in the melee, the troops again opened fire on the villagers which led to the death of seven more villagers, it said.
“Eyewitnesses have confirmed that the security forces opened fire indiscriminately as they fled from the scene towards Assam side.”
