Nagaland firing incident  |  Photo Credit: PTI
Dimapur: Hundreds of people of Nagaland took part in the two-day walkathon from Monday seeking the repeal of AFSPA and protesting against the killings of the 14 civilians by security forces in Mon district last month.
During the two-day march, the Nagas will cover a distance of more than 70 km from Nagaland’s commercial hub Dimapur to state capital Kohima.
The walkathon has received the support of various tribal bodies and civil society organisations in the state.
The participants re-started the march on Tuesday morning for the state capital.
The state has been demanding the revocation of the Armed Force Special Power Act (AFSPA) since the Mon killings last month. However, the Centre on December 30 extended AFSPA for six more months.
As many as 14 civilians were allegedly killed by security forces, including six in a botched anti-terrorist operation, and eight others in subsequent incidents in Nagaland’s Mon district on December 4 and 5. One soldier was also killed in a subsequent attack by agitated local villagers who surrounded the jawans upon receiving the news.
The incident led to massive outrage across the country and reignited the demand for repeal of the law.
AFSPA, which gives sweeping powers to security forces to detain and arrest people without a warrant in areas designated as “disturbed”, is in force in Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The participants would submit a memorandum to the Centre through Governor Jagdish Mukhi after the conclusion of the march.