After firing incident, Naga peace talks tread a precarious path

The botched Assam Rifles’ operation in Nagaland’s Oting village that claimed 14 lives could have a deep impact on the ongoing Naga peace talks.

Till Saturday (December 4), the day of ambush, the Union government looked on track to seal the deal with various Naga insurgent groups already on board. The incident, however, has once again opened the doors for naysayers to question the Centre’s earnestness to solve the vexed issue.

On Saturday, 13 villagers and a soldier were killed after an anti-insurgency operation went wrong in Oting village in Mon district. Another villager died when a mob attacked the Assam Rifles camp in retaliation to the killings. Around 11 people were injured in the firing which is being dubbed as a case of mistaken identity.

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So far, the only obstacle in the signing of Naga Peace Accord has been the NSCN-IM. The Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) and other actions have been in favour of the deal. The NSCN-IM is likely to use this failed military operation, which has triggered emotional outburst of the Naga community, to either postpone the deal or compel other groups to speak up against the Union government.

It will be interesting to see how the Khango Konyak and Niki Sumi factions of NSCN respond to the latest incident because they were once opposed to the peace accord. Even the pro-India Kitovi faction will be forced to respond to Saturday’s incident because of simmering public anger.

The onus is on the Centre to handle the crisis with skill, lest the peace talks derail and the years of efforts go in vain.

A Nagaland state official said that the locals haven’t forgotten the military operations of the’50s and ’60s. The latest incident may just serve as a reminder of the times gone by and pose a serious trust issue between the Government of India and Nagas.

The NSCN-IM has already latched up the opportunity, calling it a “black day” for all state and its population.

The NSCN-IM statement read: “Despite the Indo-Naga political dialogue that has seen much progress for the last two decades, the violence against the Nagas continues unabated. The killing was one of the most unfortunate incidents of the Indo-Naga ceasefire signed in 1997.”

The NNPG, which has favoured the peace accord so far, said that the Forces Special Powers Act of 1956 and extreme military actions at times make the Naga population feel they will never be treated as Indians. In a statement issued on Monday, the NNPG said: “The actions of the military has belittled the commitments made by the Indian Prime Minister and Home Minister.”