30 soldiers charged by Nagaland Police for botched op that killed 13 civilians

The Nagaland police on Saturday charged 30 soldiers in connection with last year's botched army operations in the Oting-Tiru area of Mon district, which killed 13 civilians.

The Nagaland Police has named 30 Indian Army personnel in its charge sheet in connection with the 13 civilian killings that took place in the state’s Mon district on December 4, 2021, after the Army opened fire in a case of "mistaken identity".

The special investigation team (SIT), constituted by the Nagaland government to probe into the matter, named one Army officer and 29 soldiers in its charge sheet, which has been submitted to a court.

The SIT accused those involved in the ambush of not following standard operation procedures (SOPs) and the rules of engagement.

Probe revealed that the ops team of 21 Para Special Forces hadn't followed SoP & rules of engagement. Their disproportional firing led to immediate killing of villagers: Nagaland DGP TJ Longkumer on incident of civilians' death in anti-insurgency op that went awry in Mon district pic.twitter.com/6eRZxGGuFK

On December 4, 2021, a contingent of the army’s counter-insurgency unit, 21 Para Special Forces, opened fire at civilians, who were residents of Oting village in the state’s Mon district bordering Myanmar, while they were returning home in a pick-up van after working at a coal mine.