Naga Society: Somewhere in Time Where Evil Triumph?

Even in the midst of all kinds of conflicts in any given society, there are always some levels of moral standard in humankind to say that civility still exists even in its lowest form. As for the Naga people, we have suffered unspeakable humiliations in the hands of British colonial rulers of the past and India and Burmese/Myanmarese military occupation of the present as is in the prevailing present day state of affairs, shrouded under various covers of Peace Processes, Political talks, Reconciliations etc. where the silent and innocent majority bears the brunt of every “evils” in every stages of life.

What is happening now in the Naga society need not be paralleled with the things of the past, but is certainly a reminder of the past. But this time around, it is not from the things done by colonial rulers or even the military atrocities of occupational forces, but more of things done by our own people towards self-destruction.

The threat to the life of Prof. Rosemary Dzuvichu, a retired Professor of the Nagaland University, who is one of the Advisors of the Naga Mother’s Association, and also a women activist and feminist in her own right, through the social media allegedly by one of our very own Naga person and the despicable language that was used is beyond any sense of civility and human dignity. NPMHR, therefore, condemns this action and also the carelessness of the social media platform which enabled the perpetration of such action and circulation of the same.

NPMHR is equally concerned with the recent developments within the Naga society, with rampant incidences of rape and murders, violence and crimes, and many others which may have gone unreported. Even as we issue this press note, we saw reports of a dead body being found at Lerie colony with gunshot wound, alongside with reports of Assam Rifles personnel attempting to kidnap two minor Naga girls at Ukhrul town.

The mushrooming of armed groups in the name of National Workers has only added insults to injuries of all kinds which the silent majority of the Naga population are forced to tolerate. And it is with such embarrassments that we make this mention, since we are losing face even to talk about our very rights and struggles which we have been protecting and promoting ever since the formation of human rights organisations. But this can also be attributed to the various responsible Naga people and organisations, who continue to choose neutrality rather that choosing what is the right thing to do.

In every count of our Naga political struggle, we have seen and lived through all kinds of war and peace situations. And we are now living in a time where only evil seems to triumphs. And if it is so, as all thinking people may so agree, can’t the society stand up for what is right? Or do we leave these legacies of shame and sufferings for the upcoming and younger generations to deal with as a gift to their future.

Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights