No attempt by Army to identify civilians, says Nagaland police report

Officials said the victims were all unarmed civilians working in coal mines

The Army made no attempt to ascertain the identity of the civilians returning from work on a pick-up truck before shooting them in Nagaland’s Mon on Saturday, a joint report by the state’s Dir­ector General of Police (DGP) T John Long­kumer and Com­missioner Rovilatuo Mor has said.

Quoting eyewitnesses, the two top officials have said villagers found the Army’s special forces trying to “hide” the bodies of six people by wrapping and loading them on a pick-up van with the intention of taking them to their base camp.

“On the evening of 4th December around 1610 hours, when eight villagers