TMC seeks compensation for families of victims

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs handed over a memorandum to the Union Home minister Amit Shah, demanding compensation for the next of kin of those killed in Nagaland firing incident. They demanded that the quantum of compensation should be decided to the satisfaction of the families of the victims.

Trinamool also alleged that Shah's statement in Parliament over the Nagaland firing incident has "failed to raise alarm over the blatant misuse of AFSPA" and stressed that law cannot be used to "murder" citizens.

"Your statement fails to express any alarm or concern at the blatant misuse of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which is in operation in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Kashmir and certain other areas. It is imperative that we tackle the problem at the very root, without which we will not be able to alleviate the dire situation and arrive at a viable, permanent solution. Innocent civilians losing their lives in any country is a shame," the memorandum stated.

The memorandum, signed by 33 TMC MPs, stressed on recognising that "AFSPA cannot be used to murder our fellow citizens. This is a tragedy beyond proportion and a collective shame".

The party also demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible for the killing of innocent people. TMC MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Kalyan Banerjee met Shah and handed over the memorandum signed by MPs of the party.

They maintained that the Hegde Commission in 2013 had observed that the AESPA was an impediment to achieving peace in regions such as Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. It had suggested fixing a time frame of three months for the Central government to decide whether to prosecute security personnel engaged in extra judicial killings or unruly behaviour in insurgency-hit regions. Again, in 2016, the Supreme Court had revoked the immunity provided by the Act and declared that "there is no concept of absolute immunity from trial by a criminal court." The MPs said the Act had been repeatedly misused. The killings of 14 people demonstrate a total lack of accountability. "This not the time for cover-ups or any effort to save face," they said.

The MPs demanded that the Centre should come clear with the position of AFSPA and address the ambiguity arising out of it. The Centre should ensure that AFSPA's main objective is used to protect civilians and not to kill them.