Girl burns tricolour in video seeking Pakistan’s help for Naga sovereignty
GUWAHATI: A video clip on Facebook, showing a young girl seeking the support of Pakistan for the sovereignty of the Nagas and burning the Indian Tricolour, has left social media users shocked and numbed.
In the one-minute-and-32-second video, posted on the wall of “Counter Narrative”, the girl is heard making a statement standing against the backdrop of a flag, similar to that of “Nagalim”, which is a unified Naga homeland envisaged by major Naga insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM). The outfit has been engaged in peace negotiations with the Centre since 1997.
When her face went off the screen intermittently, pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, insurgents, tribal students, Pakistani women holding the country’s national flag, placards favouring a free Naga nation and protests by Kashmiris and Sikhs emerged. Modi was seen taking out a sword from a sheath.
Whether the girl is Naga or not is being investigated by the police but she appears to be of Mongoloid origin.
Her statement follows.
“Dear Pakistani nation, first of all I wish you all a very happy Independence Day. I’d like to tell you that we Nagas also observe 14th of August as our Independence Day because like you, we also achieved our independence on the same day from (the) British. Unfortunately, you remained independent while we became slaves of India who reoccupied us after (the) British left. To this date, Nagas continue to fight against Brahmin terrorist state just like Kashmiris and Sikhs for freedom. Today, I want to burn this flag of occupation and seek your support for the Naga cause”.
The girl then burns the Indian Tricolour and resumes her statement.
“We are not Indians and this is not India. We observe 15th of August as a black day. We have our own history, culture, language, our own country and army. And we now want our freedom”.
And the end of it, a statement, purportedly made by Mahatma Gandhi to the doyen of Naga insurgency movement AZ Phizo on July 19, 1947, appears on the screen in the form of texts.
“Mahatma Gandhi said: Nagas have every right to be independent…If you (Nagas) do not wish to join the Union of India, nobody will force you to do that. I will sacrifice my life for the Nagas and I will ask the Indian Army to shoot me first before any Naga was killed. India has no right to attack you”.
The crime branch of Nagaland Police said it had not yet received any complaint pertaining to the video.
“We don’t know if it was shot here or outside. We will probe it,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime), VM Yhome told the New Indian Express.
Asked if they would take it up with Facebook, he said, “We have many cases pending with Facebook. We sent requests to them but they did not share information. We feel this case should be taken up by the Central government”.
There are speculations that the video was shot by elements outside the country.
“She doesn’t sound like a Naga girl. This is a shameful video,” a social media user in Nagaland said.