Mon killings: Nagaland Special Investigation Team submits final report to court

GUWAHATI: The Nagaland government-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT), which probed the December 4 civilian killings in a botched ambush by the Army’s elite Para commandos in Mon, has submitted its final report (chargesheet) to a local court.

Three senior Nagaland government officials confirmed the report was submitted to the District and Sessions Court, Mon, last month.

One of them told The New Indian Express that the report was currently with the public prosecutor as some parts were to be added. Once the changes are made, the report will be resubmitted to the court, the official added.

The content of it, however, has been kept under wraps. The members of the SIT have remained tightlipped all along.

The second senior Nagaland government official said the investigation essentially was complete and the report had been submitted. The third said the report had gone through the public prosecutor.

“The prosecutors scrutinise the reports for evidence to help make a watertight case for prosecution/trial. This is a routine practice in many states,” the official said.

When an alleged crime is committed by central forces during the discharge of official duties, prosecution sanction is required to be obtained from the central government before submitting the chargesheet in a court.

Earlier, the SIT had visited Jorhat in Assam and grilled the personnel who had taken part in the December 4 operation. It had also visited the site of the incident multiple times, sent some material outside the state for forensic laboratory tests and got photos and videos of the incident examined by a technical institute.

The SIT, constituted a day after the carnage, was given one month to complete the investigation. It was formed with five officers and 16-17 others were co-opted in due course. It has five IPS officers. The Army had separately probed the incident.

On December 4, Army soldiers had killed six coal miners near Oting village after “mistaking” them for militants. Seven other civilians and a para commando were killed within hours at the same place when the villagers retaliated.

Enraged over the incidents, a mob of hundreds of people attacked an Assam Rifles camp in Mon town the next day. The personnel opened fire during which a civilian was killed and some others were injured.