DIMAPUR: Nagaland Police has charge-sheeted at least 30 members of the 21 Para Special Force including a Major, in the December 4, 2021 botched army operations in Oting-Tiru area of Mon district when at least 13 civilians died. The chargesheet has slapped charges of murder and culpable homicide not amounting to murder under on the team of soldiers.
The probe which preceded the charge sheet has found that the Special Force Operation team had not followed the Standard Operating Procedure and Rules of Engagement and had resorted to indiscriminate and disproportionate firing leading to immediate death of six civilians and grievous injury to two more.
Addressing a press conference at Chumoukedima Police Complex on Saturday, Director General of Police (DGP), Nagaland, T John Longkumer said that the Tizit Police Station case related to the Oting incident where civilians were killed in an ambush laid for militants as a result of mistaken identity on December 4, 2021. The case was re-registered by State Crime Police Station on December 5 against unknown persons of the Indian Army under sections 302, 304 and 34 IPC and investigation handed over to a SIT.
A case under various sections of the IPC has been made out against thirty members of the operations team of 21 Para Special Force including a Major, two Subedar, eight Havildars, four Naiks, six lance naiks and nine paratroopers, he said.