After killing of civilians, Nagaland cabinet seeks repeal of AFSPA

After the killing of 14 Konyak civilians in a botched counter-insurgency operation by the Army and clashes in its aftermath in Mon district, the Nagaland cabinet decided to formally write to the Centre to repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958, blaming it for the incidents.
Mourning for the deaths, the cabinet has called off events scheduled for the last four days of the popular state-organised 10-day Hornbill Festival near Kohima. Minister and government spokesperson Neiba Kronu said the emergency cabinet meeting was briefed on the actions taken by the government since the killings, including setting up an SIT headed by an IGP and four other members. Kronu said the cabinet gave the team a month to submit its findings.
Speaking at a mass funeral service for the victims in Mon, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had said it was a travesty that the "draconian" AFSPA hadn't been withdrawn from Nagaland despite a 25-year ceasefire with insurgent groups. He said every time the state cabinet would recommend that the "disturbed area" tag be removed, the Centre would extend it by another year to keep the AFSPA in force.
The cabinet will be supporting the demands placed by the Konyak Union by putting it before India’s President Ram Nath Kovind. In its letter to the President, the tribal body urged him to institute an independent inquiry by a panel that includes two members of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation. The union demanded identification of all the Army commandos involved in the incident and action against them within a month.