GUWAHATI: The Nagas on Friday took out a massive rally in Kohima to press for justice to the civilians killed in a botched-up Army operation, repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and early solution to the vexed “Naga political problem”.
The rally was organised by the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and attended by people from all walks of life. In a show of oneness, similar rallies were organised in some Naga-majority districts of Manipur.
In a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the NSF demanded that the Centre set up a court-monitored committee headed by a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge to ensure that the recent incidents at Oting, which left 13 civilians dead, were investigated in a fair and impartial manner.
The students’ body reiterated its stand that the Special Investigation Team, set up by the state government, cannot give justice to the slain civilians who were victims of the “willful acts of the Indian armed forces under the protection of the repressive AFSPA.”
It said the Government of India must admit to the utter failure of its intelligence agencies and apologise publicly to the Nagas “for furthering the subjugation of the Nagas through its policy of militarization”.
“Justice should be delivered immediately to the victims of the gruesome Oting incidents and in all the pending cases related to excesses committed by the Indian armed forces,” it said.
The NSF said there was no rationale as to why the entire “Naga homeland within India” should be tagged as “disturbed areas” and the AFSPA thrust upon people when the Naga peace talks were at a very crucial stage.
“The prevailing law and order situation in the Naga-inhabited areas does not merit the Act which has only been used as a tool for psychological warfare against the Naga people,” the memorandum reads.
It is only because of AFSPA that the Indian armed forces continue to operate with impunity, it said.
Stating that the Nagas during the course of standing up for their unique history and pursuing a common goal suffered much, the NSF said the sacrifices of the Nagas, dead or alive, were not a struggle for the Naga identity alone but also a struggle for self-determination, “a struggle against the imposition of alien culture and values upon us”.
“It is in this background the NSF made its standpoint crystal clear that economic packages or monetary assistance cannot purchase the rights of the Naga people,” the memorandum reads.
The envisaged solution must be mutually agreed upon on the negotiating table and not an imposed one. Rather, the Government of India should not hesitate from allowing the Nagas to retain their legitimate rights, it said.
Pointing out the official recognition of the unique history of the Nagas by the Centre, the memorandum urged Modi to not compare the Naga issue to any other political issues and that the promise of a unique solution, based on the unique history which is inclusive, honourable and acceptable, is brought forth at the earliest.