The tragedy in Nagaland couldn’t have been summed up better. Rajya Sabha member KG Kenye of Naga People’s Front said on Thursday last: “All efforts, which have been put in by wise men, by leaders, by right-thinking citizens from all walks of life, have been destroyed in a matter of a few hours,” referring to the recent killing of civilians in security forces a botched up operation, the aftermath mayhem and the enactment of AFSPA, “which when brought on the floor of this August House, was followed by a marathon debate… which stretched for days together”. MPs from different parts of the country, he said, had vehemently opposed it expressing grave fears about its “misuse and abuse,… they were prophetic and have been proven correct…”

Indeed, the killing of 14 civilians and a soldier in three incidents since Saturday last has shattered the relative calm and the Centre’s claim of better times. Worse, it has put uncertainty over so-called peace talks with New Delhi, with the key Naga group NSCN(I-M) declaring it a “black day” for all Nagas; the Naga National Political Group blaming AFSPA’s continuation for such incidents and even Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio stating the incident was ‘misuse and abuse of the Act and a ‘human rights violation’.

Precisely. It is not enough to have a high-level SIT investigation and assurance that justice will be delivered, the larger issue of AFSPA, which has brought ‘animosity on all the people’ of the northeast region, must be addressed. It’s better to be late than sorry!

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