The harassment and assault meted out to the students and teachers of Nagaland University was first reported only on the 1st of June 2016. According to the press communiqués from Nagaland University Teachers Union (NUTA) and the Nagaland University Non-teaching staffs Union (NUNSTA) the incident occurred on May 19 wherein the bus they were travelling in was stopped by miscreants who pelted stones and then allegedly harassed them and even assaulted a senior teaching staff. Thereby again these individuals entered the campus on the pretext of tendering apology but instead warned the teacher of dire consequences if the matter was reported to higher authorities and also to withdraw any complaints lodged.
Till today there have been no official reports from any of the district administration or from the University administration on the details of the incident. Going by the reports of the staffs, due to the inaction of the administration there is a sense of insecurity and gloom in the whole campus. It is imperative that the administration should act immediately. It is also condemnable that the telephonic threat was by a person who claimed to be from a Naga political group based in Dimapur. It is shocking to even hear that these breed of men still exists in the Naga society. Such incidents reminds us of the restive years in the 1990s and early 2000s scenario in Nagaland when the Naga Political Groups were heavily engaged in clashes with the security forces and among themselves resulting in citizens being caught in the middle. It was then an open secret that many of the “camps” were mostly near educational institutes and it affected the careers of many students. Some still have the emotional scars from those years. But the results were drastic, as a defence mechanism most of the youth in turn started to resent the policies of the NPGs as it is evident even at present.
Unless the administration and the civil societies take up the issue on priority, it will set a very wrong precedence which is unhealthy for an educational institute. The serenity of the place which is the cradle of intellectuals is disturbed. The prestige of the state is also at stake since the incident involves the headquarters of the lone central university in Nagaland. If any of the NPG cadres were really involved then NPGs have to learn that everything cannot be held at ransom purely in the name of the Indo-Naga political issue. Corrective measures pertaining to the current issue is paramount. The fear of the gun is but temporary and ultimately the pen will always come out mightier.
