Many extrajudicial killings were forgotten in the past. This act suspends the right to life, a fundamental right enshrined under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution for the Naga people and its neighbouring states in Northeast India. The shock and condemnation are meaningless unless the draconian AFSPA (1958) is repealed. The events unfolding on the ground is a reality of lives under the AFSPA. The following day, armed forces from the 3 Corps headquartered in Dimapur (Nagaland), killed 13 Naga coal miners in Mon district. The guest of honour for the day enjoying the performance was the General Commanding officer of 4 Corps, stationed in Tezpur (Assam), Lt. In 2021, their head-hunting dance and the chanting curses attracted cheers and applause from the audience. Since the start of the Hornbill Festival in 2000, the Konyak Naga performers from Mon district have been one of the most photographed and celebrated cultural troupes. And like any staged production, the reality of Naga lives on the ground brought the show to a halt for 6 Naga tribes. A festival jam packed with performances from 1-10 December every year, this event is the supermarket of Naga music, dance, and food. Launched in 2000 to coincide with the celebration of Nagaland statehood day on 1 st December, the Hornbill estival has become the go to place to experience Naga culture for tourists. The ENPO is the apex body of the Konyak, Chang, Sangtam, Khiamniungan, Yimchunger, and Phom tribes in Nagaland. “ How can we Dance when our people are getting killed?” The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) noted in an official statement and withdrew from the Hornbill Festival 2021. E9S7tWBSf9- Naga Hills December 5, 2021īut what is happening on the ground in Nagaland? The immediate causality is the Hornbill Festival of 2021. Hosting of black flag and closing down of Konyak Morung at Kisama abstaining from celebrating Hornbill Festival 2021 in solidarity with killings of innocent public at Oting in Mon district of Nagaland on 4th December 2021 by security forces. The debates about prosecution and criminal charges will play out in the offices of the Indian government and its armed forces in New Delhi. As the theatre of condolences and assurance for justice flows from the lips of and twitter feeds of politicians, one will have to wait and see how the reality of the gory massacre plays out. The history of holding perpetrators of state violence in Northeast India is appalling. Human rights activists observe that upholding the rights of victims who have undergone torture, extra-judicial killings, and disappearances under the AFSPA is extremely challenging.

In response to the Supreme Court of India’s concerns about the existing impunity, the Indian armed forces have argued that the civil courts should keep off from the military justice system. Decades of alarming documentation of human rights violations across Northeast India suggest how security personal operating under the AFSPA enjoys legal impunity. In addition, the act also authorises all armed forces to make arrests and raid any premises without a warrant. The AFSPA (1958) gives excessive power to all Indian security personnel to use force any kill any person on grounds of mere suspicion. In June 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the AFSPA till December 31, 2021.The Indian armed force in Nagaland has the power to override civic organs to maintain public order on the ground. The law of the land in Nagaland is the Armed Forces Special Powers Act since 1958, an extra constitutional regulation that declares the state as disturbed and dangerous.

#RepealAFSPA /5y2JSV62bg- miZO zEITGEIST December 5, 2021 With 3 more lives lost, the death toll reaches 17. Several Nagaland Tribal bodies incl KUKI INPI NAGALAND have issued strong condemnations of the Saturday killing of labourers by Security forces &have terminated their participation in the Ongoing Hornbill Festival

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