Terrorist .. ! The Time India Used Air Force Against Its Own Citizens In March 1, 1966 began the Mizo uprising. On that day, the Mizo National Front declared independence from the Indian union by launching attacks on government offices and security posts. Their discontentment grew after the government’s poor handling of the Mautam, a cyclic famine in the North Eastern region occurring every 48 years, and the relegation of the Mizo language in their own state in favour of Assamese. The rebellion lasted 20 years, and in the course of it, the Indian government used air strikes on its own people for the first (and hopefully the last) time. According to a report in the Times of India, around 20 people were killed by machine-gun fire and bombs from the Indian Air Force’s Toofani and Hunter jets. Now, a new book by a former militant of the Mizo National Army (the MNF’s military wing) describes the atrocities perpetuated by security forces on his people. The author C. Zama says of the book titled Untold Atrocity that the hardships suffered by him and his comrades need to be recounted. A clip from Zama’s interview to Reuters: Q: You’ve written 19 books in the Mizo language. Tell us some of the incidents you mentioned in your new book in English that you haven’t disclosed before? A: The two women who lost their sanity after being raped – this book is the first time I’ve mentioned them. Also, the people of Vathuampui [village] where security forces tortured innocent villagers and killed nine people. They [security forces] just came, lined up people and shot them … They did similar things to other villages. Some of the incidents in the book have been rehashed from my earlier books, but there are also quite a few fresh ones I’ve included. Q: So they shot people without provocation? A: Yes, innocent people. Also, a havildar [non-commissioned officer] had more power than a DC [deputy commissioner]. For instance, if a soldier shot dead someone, he can simply say the person was an MNF supporter, and that was justification enough. Or if he raped someone, he just says she is an MNF supporter. Nobody could do anything. Q: So security forces abused their power? A: They were really bad. There was hardly any village they did not burn down. Even without getting orders from the government, majors on the ground burnt villages on their own volition. In Chhawrtui, villagers were herded inside their houses and locked up. And the major gave the order to burn the houses with all the people in them. But the captain refused and argued with him. They eventually did not burn the houses. Source :- yralindia.tumblr/post/82080023865/the-time-india-used-air-force-against-its-own-citizens
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 19:37:15 +0000
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