On Thursday, more than 100 students from various universities and communities in Itanagar staged a sit-in protest and a large candlelight march in protest of Nagaland civilian deaths.
The demonstration was led by- All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union in collaboration with the North East Student Organization (NESO) at Indira Gandhi National Park, Itanagar.
The demonstrators also included 15 Naga Students from NERIST (North East Regional Institute of Science and Technology), Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh. They demanded the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA).
Social activist and scholar of Rajiv Gandhi University Prem Taba said, "We are here to pay homage to the 14 innocent civilians who were killed by the Indian Army in Nagaland. The anti-democracy and colonial Laws like AFSPA should be abolished from the Northeast."
"My message to the Naga brothers and sisters out there is that, be strong and be brave because they have been living with AFSPA for almost four decades, we are with them," Taba added.
Meje Taku, vice president of the All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union, expressed solidarity with the people of Nagaland. Taku, speaking to the general public, said, "The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is a draconian law that has been misapplied throughout history. I implore all Naga Brothers to be strong, as this is a difficult time for all of us."
The firing incident in Nagaland's Mon district on December 4 left 14 civilians dead. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday directed all agencies to ensure that "no such unfortunate incident recurs in future while undertaking operations against insurgents".
Earlier on Monday, Home Minister Amit Shah had termed the killing of civilians by security forces in Nagaland a "case of mistaken identity" and informed that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed with direction to submit its report on the unfortunate incident within one month.
The AFSPA in Nagaland was extended for another six months on June 30 by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Act would stay in effect in Nagaland till December 31, according to a statement from the MHA.
