‘Committed to the Security of Our Countrymen’: Army Chief on Nagaland Killings

Naravane’s comments come in the aftermath of the killings of 13 civilians, who were gunned down by the Indian army.

Army Chief General MM Naravane. Background image is of coffins of civilians who were killed in Nagaland.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Army Chief General MM Naravane while addressing a press conference on Wednesday, 12 January, said, “The regrettable incident that occurred in Oting, Nagaland on 4 December is being thoroughly investigated. We remain committed to the security of our countrymen, even during the conduct of operations.”

Naravane’s comments come in the aftermath of the killings of 13 civilians, who were gunned down by the Indian armed forces in a case of "mistaken identity" in Oting village in Nagaland’s Mon district.

While there had been several calls to repeal Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, (AFSPA) by citizens and the Nagaland government itself, the Centre extended the Act for another six months on 30 December, declaring the state as a “disturbed” area under AFSPA.

The law allows for armed forces to be conferred with sweeping powers to operate in areas designated as "disturbed", and grants them immunity from prosecution without the Centre's sanction.

Meanwhile, Nagaland government’s special investigation team (SIT) probing the Oting killings submitted a “preliminary report” to the state government on 8 January, a police officer said on Monday, when a two-day march began against AFSPA, from Dimapur to Kohima in Nagaland, covering a distance of 75 km.

Army Chief General on China’s New Border Law

Speaking on China’s new border law, Naravane said, “Any law, which is not binding on other countries and which is not legally tenable & is not in keeping with the agreements that we have had in the past, obviously can't be binding on us”, news agency ANI reported.

“On the western front, there is an increase in the concentration of terrorists in various launch pads and there have been repeated attempts of infiltration across the Line of Control”, he was quoted as saying.

The 14th round of military-level talks between India and China was also scheduled for Wednesday at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point, on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

In response to a question regarding the meeting, Naravane said that the talks are underway and while both nations are working towards a "mutual disengagement", threats are still "very high".

Commenting on reports of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) building a village in Arunachal's Upper Subansiri district, Naravane said, "The MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) has amply clarified our position. This is arising because the LAC is not demarcated and there are different perceptions. As long as the boundary issue is concerned, for once and for all, the border issue has to be resolved."

He added, "As far as we are concerned, we are very well poised all along our borders and there is no question that any status quo as it exists today will be altered by force."

Naravane further said, “There have been positive developments along our northern and western borders. On northern borders, we have continued to maintain the highest level of operational preparedness while at the same time, engaging with People’s Liberation Army through dialogue.”

(With inputs from ANI.)