Thirty personnel of Indian Army's special forces, including a Major, have been named in a Nagaland Police charge sheet over the botched operation that killed 14 civilians in Nagaland's Mon district in December last year.
"Probe revealed that the ops team of 21 Para Special Forces hadn't followed standard operation procedures (SoPs) and rules of engagement. Their disproportional firing led to immediate killing of villagers," ANI quoted Nagaland DGP TJ Longkumer as saying.
The DGP added that the police had registered 5 cases in this matter, and further investigation is underway.
The Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the matter reportedly submitted the charge sheet to court.
Meanwhile, the state administration has sought Centre's permission to take action against the booked army personnel, and the state police has sent a letter to the Defence Ministry, asking for sanction to take action, NDTV reported.
What Happened in December 2021?
As many as 14 civilians were killed by the Indian army in Nagaland on 4-5 December 2021 in a series of incidents that have been "deeply regretted" by the armed forces and the central government.
A vehicle carrying eight coal miners in Nagaland's Oting village was gunned down by army personnel, who were engaged in a counter-insurgency mission. Six civilians died in the incident, which was regretted as a case of 'mistaken identity' by the army.
The civilian killings triggered violence in the region, leading to the death of eight more locals.
The violence was prompted after security personnel involved in the ambush incident had attempted to hide the bodies of the deceased coal miners, leading to 600-700 locals barging into the camps of the Assam Rifles in retaliation for the killings.
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