Dimapur, November 27 : Organisations representing Naga communities in the northeast region have denounced the reported arrest of two United Naga Council (UNC) leaders by the Manipur government.
The Naga Hoho, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), and the Zeliangrong Youth Front (ZYF) issued separate statements on Sunday denouncing the arrest.
The statements mentioned the arrested UNC leaders: President Gaidon Kamei (52) and Sankhui Stephen Inpui (36), the organization’s information and publicity secretary.
In its statement, the Naga Hoho condemned the actions of the Manipur government ‘which led to arrest’ of the two UNC leaders.
“The Hoho appeal the concern authority to release the two Naga leaders unconditionally. The move to defend the ancestral lands and rights of the Nagas cannot be construed as illegal. The govt. of Manipur must reason out to have peace and tranquillity in the region instead of provoking the situation which may further aggravate among the common people,” the Naga Hoho stated in its message.
The Naga Hoho also appealed to the government of India to ‘intervene immediately’ as the communal Manipur government is waging war against Naga people.
The NSF also expressed similar sentiment in a separate press release: “The arrested Naga leaders should be immediately and unconditionally released. Failing which, the situation may get worst and the government of Manipur should be solely responsible for any eventualities.”
The state government should know that the United Naga Council represents the voice and the sentiment of the Nagas in the state of Manipur, the NSF stated in its press release.
According to the NSF, the government of Manipur, led by Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, was “not serious on any of the demands made by the Naga people.” Rather, the NSF alleged, he is “using the Naga issue for his own political mileage by creating huge communal tension among the various communities living in the state of Manipur.”
The government of Manipur should stop playing divisive politics and create communal disharmony among the various ethnic communities, the NSF stated.
“The federation fervently appeals to all peace-loving people to seriously question the undemocratic move of the government of Manipur and condemns the arrest of the two Naga leaders.”
ZYF
The ZYF also accused the Manipur government resorting to ‘suppressive and repressive policy’ to subdue the Naga people’s democratic movement. Condemning the arrest, the Zeliangrong youth stated: "Such suppressive policy of gagging the voice of the democratic citizens has no place in a democratic country:
The organization called the deployment of “maximum security forces” to the Naga areas was “complete dictatorship style of governance in the name of providing security to escorts the vehicles carrying essential commodities following economic blockaded being imposed by the Naga people against the wrong and deceiving plan of Manipur Govt. to declare Sadar Hills and Jiribam as full-fledged districts.” They must be withdrawn immediately, the group stated.
The Manipur government had been frequently exercising the ‘military might’ by ‘abusing the power of government by deploying maximum security forces creating a war like situation very frequently in a democratic country whenever the Naga people expressed their views and opinions against the wrong policy of the state’s government, the organization stated.
Further, the ZYF alleged that the current impasse was due to the Manipur government’s “wrong policy with a plan to inaugurate Sadar Hills and Jiribam as the full-fledged districts without consulting the people nor make known the reasons to all section of communities who are the stake holders but concealed and conceded to one sided demand and interest with a mere excuse of administrative convenient...”
Likewise, the ZYF explained that the people’s democratic movement spearheaded by the UNC–by imposing an economic blockade on national highways and banning national projects in the Naga areas –was not against any community but against the ‘wrong policy of the Manipur government.’
The state has been ‘trying to ignore’ four memorandums signed between the state’s government and the Naga organizations regarding the issue of Sadar Hills.
