Forceful occupation: 3 months on, Mekokla village still seeking for justice

Dimapur, Jan. 18: Villagers of Mekokla, in Wokha district, have questioned the failure of the ‘government authority’ concerned to take any action almost three months after the Assam Rifles were reported to have forcefully occupied the village’s church building.
The Mekokla Baptist Church issued a press release on Wednesday stating: “This statement is to express our disappointment over the forceful occupation of our church on 22nd night of October 2016 by the 28 AR troops. We are being saddened as the concern government authority in regard to this issue has not taken any action yet against those defaulters despite being condemned by many association and organization and memorandum submitted by the Mekokla Students’ Union on behalf of the Mekokla people.”
Reminding that the issue was “very serious”, it hoped the governor of Nagaland would ‘deliver us justice as per the memorandum submitted by the Mekokla Students’ Union by using his good office in the interest of his people’. The church, it stated, fully backs the memorandum submitted by the students to the governor.“We the concern church leaders of Mekokla Baptist church once again clearly clarify that the church was forcefully occupied by the 28 AR troops without any permission on 22nd night of October 2016 at around 8:30 pm. The 28 (AR) have violated the verdicts of Supreme Court of India and protocols of the UN in regard to places of worship and educational institutions, where everyone knows that there are punishments to be given and actions to be taken against those defaulters who violates the verdicts and protocols,” it stated.
“Today it’s in our village but tomorrow the same might happen in your village, therefore we all should stand together and fight for our right so that nothing of this is being committed again in any Naga soil. We appeal to all the right thinking Naga people to stand with us today and tomorrow we will be there in your needs.”