Many decry killing of civilian in ArP

By Our Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR/KohimA, May 19: Arunachal Nagas have strongly condemned the killing of one innocent civilian, Lamdan Lukham on May 16 at Pumao village, Longding, Arunachal Pradesh, by personnel of 19th Sikh Regiment, camped at Longding district.
It was reported that Lamdan Lukham (60) was killed and seven others were injured during a faceoff between insurgents and the Indian Army on May 16.
Registering their protest, Wancho Council, the apex body of Wancho community, along with several other societies/unions-Wancho Cultural Society (WCS), All Wancho Women Welfare Society (AWWWS), Longding District Students' Union (LDSU), Wancho Students' Union (WSU), Pumao Village Council and Pumao Students' Union have submitted a memorandum to the State Governor through Longding district Deputy Commissioner.
In the memorandum, the organisations demanded immediate arrest of the army personnel who allegedly fired upon the residents which led the death of Lamdan Lukham and injured other six persons.
The Indian Army should pay Rs 50 lakh to Lamdan's kins. Rs 10 lakh should be compensated to the seriously injured and Rs 5 lakh to the injured, said the organisations adding the Arunachal Government should absorb the next of kin of the deceased in Govt job/service.
It also appealed the Government to include few members of the organisations in the judicial enquiry team constituted to probe the incident.
The organisations will adopt other intense forms of democratic protest if "our demands" are not met, said WC chairman, Shompha Wangsa.
Meanwhile, Naga Students' Federation, Kohima has also condemned the killing. "The federation is distressed to learn that the men in uniform have not been able to be an exemplary disciplined unit even during the Nationwide lockdown and are mindlessly indulging in their trigger happy junket to which another innocent Naga soul had fallen victim... It has become an irony that the very mention of Armed Forces who are supposed to safeguard the people only invokes fear and insecurity in the minds of the people and the Naga people have been at receiving ends of their mindless actions, shielded by the AFSPA regime, for last many decades," said NSF demanding Centre to set up an inquiry committee headed by a retired Judge of Supreme Court/High Court which will conduct an impartial probe into the incident and book the culprits at the earliest.
It also appealed National and State Human Rights Commission, as well as National/State ST Commission to take suo-moto cognizance of the incident and initiate timely proceedings against those responsible for the ‘barbaric act’.