GUWAHATI: As India gears up to celebrate 72nd Independence Day on Wednesday, insurgents in Nagaland celebrated the "Naga Independence Day" on Tuesday.
The Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), which has been bargaining hard with the Centre to settle the "Naga political issue", celebrated the day at its central headquarters Hebron off commercial hub Dimapur."On this day in 1947, the Naga people declared independence from the British colonialists, one day ahead of Indian independence.
This was the result of the right and timely decision of the visionary Naga leaders of the time. I have great respect for these national workers who serve the Nation with their fullest commitment and selfless sacrifice. I thank and appreciate the Naga Army which has been defending the Nation from various kinds of forces without any reservation, NSCN-IM leader "Gen" (retd) Kholi said in a statement.
He continued: "The NSCN should be reminded that our political struggle began with our people and it shall end with the people. Our revolution is of the people, for the people and by the people. We will honour and respect the history and the rights of other people and nations. We are also ready to understand together with our neighbours on issues of each others' history and rights provided they come with national and realistic approach and are prepared to appreciate the history and the rights of the Naga people".
Elsewhere in Assam and Manipur, protesting the alleged occupation of the Northeast by "India", some rebel groups called for "a total shutdown" on Wednesday and urged people to boycott India's Independence Day.
The Paresh Baruah faction of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and the Coordination Committee (CorCom), which is an umbrella body of Manipur-based militant groups, in a joint statement said: "We beseech the entire peoples of our region to be alert and make the boycott a complete success as was done before, as a mark of solidarity against Indian occupation".
In the wake of the rebels' call for boycott of the I-Day celebration, security, particularly in Assam and Manipur, has been heightened. There were reports that a group of ULFA militants had sneaked into Assam from Myanmar to carry out subversive activities especially in Upper Assam. A senior Assam police official told TNIE that all measures had been taken to thwart any act of terror by the militants.