Konyak Union urges state to act, warns of proceeding with construction if delay continues
An alleged objection by the Assam Rifles to a proposed site for a Martyrs Park in Nagaland’s Mon district has reopened concerns linked to the Oting killings of December 2021.
The Konyak Union, the apex body of the Konyak tribe in Mon, said the state Home Department had approved a site adjacent to an Assam Rifles camp for the construction of the memorial shortly after the incident in which 13 community members were killed by a special Army unit in what was described as a botched encounter.
According to the union, permission for the memorial was granted in January 2022 for the 13 victims of Oting village located near the Nagaland-Assam border along with a fourteenth victim who was killed after Assam Rifles personnel opened fire to disperse protestors in Mon town the following day.
Mon, the district headquarters, is over 60 km from Oting.
“During the volatile situation, we sought a permit through the district administration for the construction of the Martyrs Park at a site adjacent to the Assam Rifles camp as a mark of respect for the innocent lives lost and to remind the security agencies to shun such operations,” Konyak Union general secretary Wango Konyak said.
Union president K Yamao Konyak stated that the 42 Assam Rifles stationed at Mon objected to the construction of the park, claiming that the allotted land falls under its leased area.
“However, the district administration has officially stated that the lease deed of the Assam Rifles land in Mon town is not a registered one and does not hold any legal validity,” he said.
The union maintained that the memorial is necessary as a reminder of the December 2021 incident for future generations.
It further said that an appeal submitted to the district authority on January 23 seeking resolution did not yield any outcome. A subsequent reminder to the Commissioner of Nagaland on February 10 also went unanswered, according to the union.
In a statement issued on Tuesday (March 31, 2026), the organisation warned that it would proceed with construction at the identified site if the Neiphiu Rio-led state government fails to expedite the process.
“The union will not be held responsible if any untoward incident occurs while initiating the action (construction at the site),” it stated.
An official response from the Assam Rifles is awaited.
