Konyak Union demands site for monolith to honour Oting victims

KOHIMA: The Konyak Union on Sunday has demanded the Mon district administration to allocate a site to erect a monolith in honour and in remembrance of the victims of the Oting incident.

The site will be used as 'Genocide Park' in order to mark the day 14 innocent lives who were unfortunately killed on Dec. 4 and 5, an update from the KU stated. The same day is already being marked in Konyak history as the "Black Sunday", the Union added.

It also reiterated that if the demand for allocation of site is not met at the earliest, 'the Konyaks will be compelled to take extreme course of action.'

The Union has also demanded the Indian Security forces to return the 'hard earned money,including their bikes and other belongings taken from the victims they have killed.'

At least 14 civilians and a soldier were killed in a botched anti-insurgency operation and retaliatory violence over December 4-5 in the district, as per police.

Meanwhile, the Oting Village Council has refused to accept ex-gratia provided by the state government to the kin of those deceased and injured in the Mon firing incident.

The Village Council in a statement said that it had received an envelope containing an amount of Rs 18 lakh 30 thousand which was brought by Minister Paiwang Konyak and Deputy Commissioner of Mon district. The Village Council initially accepted the amount assuming it as a token of love and gift from Minister Paiwang Konyak.

However, after knowing the fact that it was an advance payment or installment of an ex-gratia from the state government for the victims’ family and injured persons, the Village Council decided not to accept it. The Village Council maintained that it will not accept any ex-gratia until those behind the Mon firing incident are brought to justice and AFSPA is repealed.