Amit Shah to give statement in Parliament on Nagaland firing incident

Union home minister Amit Shah will give a statement today in both Houses of Parliament on the Nagaland firing incident in which at least 14 civilians - 13 on Saturday and one more on Sunday - were killed. Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said he has spoken to Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh regarding the incident, adding that the home minister will make a statement in the afternoon.

Shah is expected to speak on the matter after Opposition leaders gave adjournment motion notices to discuss the killing of civilians in the Mon district of Nagaland. While Congress MP Manickam Tagore moved an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha to discuss the incident, Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha gave suspension of business notice "to discuss the matters related to the killing of innocent civilians in Nagaland."

“There has been a very serious and tragic incident in which six civilians killed by armed forces. This horrific incident led to clashes that led to death of 8 more civilians and a jawan. We demand a statement from the minister today,” Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said.

On Saturday, Shah expressed anguish over the incident and extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. 

But the government is yet to provide a statement on the botched anti-insurgency operation in which security forces gunned down civilians. After the reports of killings emerged on Sunday morning, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the central government must give a “real reply” over the “heart wrenching” incident.

“What exactly is the home ministry doing when neither civilians nor security personnel are safe in our own land?” Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

A 5-member delegation of Trinamool Congress will visit Nagaland today to meet the bereaved families.