[dropcap]S[/dropcap]urvival Nagaland clarifies to make its stand clear to whosoever concerned against all the false rumors and propagandas that has been doing rounds believed to be spread initially by the regional media and national visual media. It has been creating a lot of misunderstandings/misconceptions about its members and the movement. Being a movement against the unabated influx of Illegal Immigrants in our land, the SN comprises of people from different walks of – businessmen, govt. servants, social activists, church workers, journalists, writers, students etc.The SN movement is a completely non-political and non-religious movement; a social awakening and an economic movement with its aims and objectives of spreading awareness among the people by sensitizing people through workshops, seminars, meetings and inculcating the people to imbibe work culture and promote dignity of labour. Due to the absence of the latter two, the illegal immigrants have swarmed all over our land as there is easy availability of work and our acceptance of cheap labour. These cheap labourers in due course of time take up various professions which have resulted in economic domination in all the business activities.
The crime rates committed against the local people are also ever on the rise with little or no proper measures and mechanisms to control or check them from both governmental as well as public side. For these reasons, unless we come together and take up this burning issue immediately, the alarming growth of the immigrant population which has seen a tremendous increase over a short span of years and their abnormal growth will supplant us and we will be become a minority in our own land. So we felt the need that we Nagas come as one people to fight these menace.
What happened on the 5TH of March 2015 is very regrettable, unexpected and uncalled for. It is a painful and remorseful day for us Nagas as well as for the whole world. Unfortunately, what has happened cannot be undone, and it is now time to come together and put our hearts and head together and be united so that such things never occur.
The SN Movement feels it has become necessary to clear the air of misconceptions, misinformation and misgivings (if any) which has been spread due to many rumours and false propagandas. These are the points which SN movement would like to clarify-
1 .The rape incident of a Naga girl on February 23rd came to our knowledge only through various social-networking sites of Facebook and WhatsApp which subsequently came out in the newspapers after some days. Even the rally on the 4th of March came to our knowledge only via facebook and WhatsApp and some of our SN members went to the rally just to express our solidarity.
2 . After the rally, when the students took out a procession and assembled at the DC Court, some more SN members rushed to the spot to see the turn of events. As the crowd gathered was getting more aggressive and violent, SN members pacified and tried to control them which was witnessed by many police officers and personnel present at the site. We believe it was aggravated as a girl in uniform was hit in the hand by the butt of a gun of police personnel.
3. During the meeting at the DC Conference Hall on 4th of March evening, which was attended by student leaders, civil societies and administrative officials, the SN members raised up issues of concern relating to IBIs and the failure of our government machineries in curbing these menace and proper measures that should be taken up immediately to check the menace.
4. Even during the meeting when agitated students tried to stage a walk-out, the SN members stopped them to sort out the matter with the district administration. SN tried to apprise them that it was impossible to legally handover the accused and so to refrain from demanding the impossible.
5. As there was a meeting at CNTC office on the 4TH of March evening by a collective consensus of several youth organisations to discuss the tense situation, some SN members attended it while some remained at the DC Court complex trying to control the agitating crowd. Many abusive words and insults were hurled at SN members while we were trying to pacify the crowd.
6. Even before the meeting was over, we heard the news that New Market was being vandalized. So the SN members called up the Muslim Council Dimapur and had a short meeting to issue a press release statement that it was not a communal issue but an issue of rape which was going out of hand. As SN members were rushing to the spot, some people who were on their way to vandalize the Hazi Park Market were stopped by us. The police officers and personnel present there at MP Road and Bata Charali are the witnesses.
7. The SN members attended the rally as an invitee, organized by the NSF and since this issue of rape incident was related to an alleged IBI as informed in the newspapers, our speakers representing the SN Movement spoke at the rally along with many other speakers representing various NGOs and civil societies. Equal yardstick should be applied to all that shared the platform. Organizers or only some speakers should not be targeted as all speakers spoke about the problem of the influx of illegal immigrants in the state and all were instructed to go home at the end by the host after the peaceful rally.
8. THE REPRESENTATIVES OF SURVIVAL NAGALAND NEVER DEMANDED THAT:
(i)THE ALLEGED RAPIST SHOULD BE HANDED OVER TO THE PUBLIC.
(ii) JUSTICE MUST GIVEN IN THE HANDS OF THE PUBLIC
(iii)GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONCEDE TO PUBLIC DEMAND.
WE STOOD ON OUR DREAM OF AN IBI FREE LAND AND THE CRIMES COMMITTED BY IBIs ON OUR PEOPLE IN OUR OWN LAND SHOULD BE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. THE SN MEMBERS EXPRESSED SOLIDARITY WITH THE STUDENTS IN THE ISSUE OF STANDING TOGETHER TO OVERCOME ON THE ISSUE OF UNABATED INFLUX OF IBIs. WE NEVER MEANT VIOLENT MEANS.
9. After the rally was over, the SN members went to DMC office to submit a charter of demands and then to Naga Council office where the NSF officials and Naga Council Gen. Secretary were drafting a joint resolution of the rally but since it was getting late the SN members went home to have lunch. Later, we went to Hotel Saramati at 2 pm to attend a meeting which was collectively called by various concerned tribal bodies, student organisations, civil societies where we came to know about the jail outbreak. The meeting could not be concluded as the news of the jailbreak distracted the gathering.
10. The unfortunate March 5 Incident was a collective failure of a failed society that include the Government machineries, Apex Organisations, Civil Societies, Churches and we the people as a whole. We should all owe our moral responsibility together instead of washing our hands and pin-pointing one another. This is a time to reflect upon ourselves and just to save one’s own skin all blame has been hurled unjustly at SN Movement and the members which is very unbecoming of a responsible society.
It is heard that many students have been arrested on the March 5 incident. If so, exams are approaching and may we suggest to the government that a mechanism be worked out where the students can come out and appear their exams under conditions laid by the law. They may be summoned after the exam if needed.
LET TRUTH PREVAIL, LET JUSTICE REIGN AND LET THE WILL OF GOD REIGN.KUKNALIM!
Issued By,
Survival Nagaland
