The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union said the Churches Colony shop closure was linked to an indigenous status issue, not MRP violations.
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DIMAPUR — Facing criticism from several organisations over its recent closure of a shop in Churches Colony, the Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) on Tuesday defended its action, maintaining that the issue was connected to alleged illegal indigenous status and not to Maximum Retail Price (MRP) violations.
The clarification came a day after DNSU issued a press release on the matter amid allegations from different quarters that the student body had acted outside its mandate.
Addressing a press conference in Dimapur, DNSU leaders said the issue had been under scrutiny for nearly two years and involved allegations of non-indigenous individuals obtaining documents and land rights unlawfully.
Also read: Indigenous rights, not MRP, behind action — Dimapur Naga Students' Union clarifies
“This is not an MRP issue. It is a Non-Naga Indigenous issue,” DNSU General Secretary Michael Kath said, adding that the matter was linked to the alleged cancellation of the indigenous certificate of one Nirmal Jain.
Kath said DNSU had repeatedly summoned the owners of the establishment, identified as Girdharilal Sharma and Sanjay Sharma, to appear before the union since last year, but alleged that they failed to respond.
He said the union was compelled to act due to the lack of cooperation from the concerned parties.
“If someone illegally procures documents in Nagaland and forcefully snatches away our Naga rights and local rights, DNSU will never stay silent,” he said.
Kath also claimed that DNSU had found alleged discrepancies related to MRP during its inspection of the shop, but maintained that pricing violations were not the primary issue.
DNSU President Hinoto P Aomi reiterated that the closure was carried out over what the union described as an indigenous status issue involving business operations and alleged land procurement.
“We locked the place because this was an indigenous issue. We did not do anything over MRP,” Aomi said.
He alleged that DNSU had previously exposed irregularities involving individuals identified as Vinod Khandelwal, Bajrang Pareek and Girdharilal Sharma, and claimed that some individuals without indigenous status had allegedly acquired land in the state.
Aomi also rejected allegations that DNSU had sought money from the businessman, dismissing claims that the union was attempting to benefit financially from Girdharilal Sharma.
He further raised allegations concerning GST receipts, fake cash memos and pricing practices, stating that DNSU intended to create awareness on such issues.
On the police intervention following the closure of the establishment, Aomi said DNSU had initially refused to hand over the keys because no FIR had reportedly been filed at the time. He added that the keys were later handed over to the Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) after discussions.
According to Aomi, a statement signed in the presence of the Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) stated that the concerned parties had agreed to cooperate with DNSU and resolve pending issues amicably.
DNSU Speaker Tesiding Newmai said the union’s executive council had been authorised during its second assembly last year to pursue matters concerning alleged “Non-Naga Indigenous” certificates.
Education Secretary Kevin Gonmai said the public discourse surrounding MRP violations had overshadowed the main issue. “Imagine a house is burning while people are arguing about the colour of the walls. The real issue is being ignored,” he said.
Finance Secretary Kezevi Natso said DNSU had been criticised by various sections without proper verification of facts and maintained that the organisation had not committed any illegal act.
“If we have done something illegal, the owner has every right to file an FIR or have us arrested,” he said.
Responding to questions on whether DNSU would pursue similar matters in future, Aomi claimed that several indigenous certificates in the state were already under scrutiny and alleged that some had been cancelled following verification through RTI applications and land patta records.
“The outsiders who are doing illegal work need to answer for this. We did not do this for fun. Our issue was focused on the indigenous aspect,” he said.