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A usually bustling Nyamo Lotha Road of Dimapur wore a blank, deserted look on Tue. Jan. 8 as business establishment and traffic shut in response to the state-wide strike against the Citizenship Amendment Bill called by students' organisations. (EM Images)[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Jan. 8: The 11-hour bandh called by the North East Students Organisation (NESO) for the entire Northeast to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 crippled normal life in the region on Tuesday. It is reported that five people, including two who sustained bullet injuries, were injured during a clash between the protestors and policemen at the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council headquarters located 25 km away from Agartala.
Barring a few stray incidents of violence in Tripura, the strike ended peacefully in other parts of the north-eastern states where various social organisations had called for a total shutdown in an attempt to stop the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 from being legislated.
Under the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, people belonging to minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan will be eligible to apply for Indian citizenship after six years of stay in the country. It has created fear among the indigenous people of Northeast that it would facilitate the influx of illegal immigrants into the region.
Tuesday also saw two-day (Jan. 8-9th)nation-wide bandh organised by 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) to protest against the alleged “anti-worker policies” adopted by the BJP-led government, affecting the daily life in most part of the country.
Nagaland witnessed a complete shutdown as the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), the apex student body of the Nagas, and several other organisations called for a bandh to protest against the controversial bill. However, it was peaceful by and large.
Speaking to Eastern Mirror, former president of Dimapur Naga Student’s Union (DNSU) and member of the High Power Committee (HPC) under the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Mhachio Lotha said the public response to the call for a strike was impressive though it was done on a short notice.
“The cooperation of the public is appreciated and acknowledged; the bandh was called to safeguard our identity and that the future posterity does not get hampered,” said Lotha.
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The commercial hub of Nagaland looked deserted with the shops being closed due to the bandh. It caused inconvenience to the commuters and travellers due to unavailability of public transport and local taxis to take them to the airport or train station.
A young father of an infant child told that he walked from Purana Bazaar to the train station on foot in search of a place to eat since all shops were closed. “I will wait till the bandh is over in the evening and then move out from here by an autorickshaw,” he said.
Another elderly couple who had to catch a train in the afternoon expressed their wish that autorickshaws ply for emergency cases and for the aged.
The NSF had placed volunteers from various tribal student unions at different check points around Dimapur to ensure the success of the bandh. One volunteer at the Purana Bazaar check point said that most of the commuters were off to pre-engaged programmes like weddings or hospital appointments. “We asked them to produce the wedding invites or any doctor certificates to let them pass; the public complied gracefully,” he said.
The Lotha Students' Union (LSU), a sub-unit of NSF, called for a total bandh at Wokha district headquarters starting from 5 am to 4 pm as per the guidelines of NSF. All commercial activities in the district were paralyzed on account of the bandh.
Meanwhile a small programme was conducted at police point in the evening to mark the end of the peaceful strike which was attended by senior members of LSU and present executives. Armed forces were deployed by the district administration in case any unlawful activities erupt.
Responding to the clarion call of the NESO under the aegis of NSF was observed by the Ao Students’ Conference (AKM) at Mokokchung district on Tuesday. In the district headquarters, all vehicular moment were hauled; business establishment, schools and offices were closed during the protest.
AKM volunteers were seen at various strategic locations across the district to ensure the success of the strike.
The streets of state capital Kohima wore a deserted look as the people of Nagaland joined her eight sister states in the strike called by the North East Students Organization (NESO). The bandh, which was supervised by the Angami Students Union (ASU) at Kohima, culminated peacefully. Apart from a few stray incidents where student volunteers turned some pedestrians back to their homes, no outward incidents or harassments were reported in the state capital.
Speaking to , Imtiyapang, general secretary of Naga Students Federation (NSF) said the bandh, which was organised under its tutelage in the state, was successfully observed across the state peacefully without any violence.
He also expressed his appreciation to all the sub-units under NSF from across the state and beyond, and to all the organisations that heeded to its call by showing solidarity with the rest of the indigenous people of the Northeast.
When enquired about the stand of the NSF on the bill, the general secretary said the federation would fight tooth and nail along with the rest of the indigenous people of the country until the day the bill is revoked by the union cabinet.
Nagaland Public Rights Awareness and Action Forum (NPRAAF) said that the passing of the controversial bill by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amidst bandh and protest across north-eastern states “will develop trust deficits between the north-eastern people and the NDA government which has entered into peace talks with various organisation and government’s assurances of commitment on Act East Policy.”
“It is painful that the sentiments of the affected north-eastern people were totally ignored. The parliament, which is the temple of democracy, has crushed people's voice murdering democracy,” it added.