ITANAGAR, May 19: The Tirap, Changlang, Longding and Namsai Students’ Union (TCLNSU) of Rajiv Gandhi University has sought immediate intervention of the state and central governments into the 16 May incident in Pumao village of Longding district wherein, a 60 year old civilian was killed and various others injured by the 19th Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army, to ensure that stringent punishment is awarded to all the army personnel involved in the incident as per the law.
Strongly condemning the Indian Army for firing bullets on
innocent civilians, the TCLNSU in a release on Tuesday, said that “the Indian Army resorted to such reprehensible act under the guise of protecting the people.”
“Such barbaric incident is very unfortunate and a big blot in the name of the otherwise magnanimous Indian Army. The incident is another example of the repeated violations and misuse of the special powers granted to the army under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958,’ the union stated.
It further vehemently denounced the Indian Army’s statement and called it “an attempt to cover up their shameful deed by spreading fabricated version of the incident.”
“It is a mere attempt by the Indian Army to wash its bloody hands of the act of killing innocent civilians. Such action perpetrated by the Indian Army is an act of genocide and the government must take full cognizance of its development. The union also wants to highlight the plight of the innocent people of TCL region, who have for decades remained victims of inhumane treatment by various insurgency groups and the Indian Army,” the union claimed.
