A Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 18
Against the state government’s “failure” to fulfill the demands contained in a 7-days ultimatum served by the Yimchungru public on February 9 last, the Yimchungru Tribal Council (YTC) today organized a silent protest march here in Dimapur to register its disappointment.
The peaceful rally today, which covered the distance between the Deputy Commissioner’s office and DC court junction, is only the first phase of a series of planned agitations, according to YTC officials. In addition to its principal demands already made, the YTC further submitted a “charter of demands”, addressed to the Chief Secretary of Nagaland, today.
Among others (eight demands in total), it asked for immediate rehabilitation of the for those Yimchungru people displaced by the mob violence at Kiphire town and special consideration for the “traumatized students” wherever required, “inclusive of admission matter in school and colleges.”
The “charter” also included a demand for immediate termination of the erring policeman (named in the document) from active service for allegedly firing on students and members of the public “with an intention of shoot-to-kill.”
Another demand was to ensure that the role of the government officers stationed at Kiphire be “strictly” placed under the scanner of the Inquiry Commission and award befitting disciplinary actions, if found guilty.
The YTC appealed the state government to “immediately” fulfill those demands, along with the principal demands of its previous ultimatum, “in the interest of fair sense of justice, equity and public peace and tranquility.”
After the rally, the Yimchungru public, numbering in the thousands, had a meeting at Showba village ground, Niuland, Dimapur. The village elders, who spoke at the meeting, expressed profound grief at the turn of events that had left more than 1300 villagers homeless and displaced.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Yimchungru leaders lamented that though the displaced people were “alive and safe now”, their academic pursuit had been “murdered” already. An executive member of the Western Yimchungru Hoho reasoned that “it is wrong to damage houses and take the law into one’s hand” before identifying the actual culprits.
He added that the Yimchungru people would opt for their 2nd phase of agitation if the state government continues to ignore their demands.
