An Open Letter to the Chief Minister of Nagaland

To,

The  Honourable chief Minister of Nagaland

Shri Neiphiu Rio.

Subject: Prayer for the Declaration of Tikhir as a Recognised Tribe in Nagaland.

Dear Honorable Sir,

With utmost respect, this letter comes to express the deep dismay of my people for taking such a long time to declare Tikhir as a recognised tribe in Nagaland. That sir, as subject cited above, we the Tikhirs have been struggling for an irrefutable official recognition of our tribe since 1982. We have served several memorandum and representations number of times to the government. As per the representation and memorandum, your government made assurance to declare Tikhir as a recognised tribe yet time and again the government has failed to fulfill it.

Since 1973, when delimitation was made in Nagaland, Tikhirs were bifurcated in three different constituencies and thereby, made minority in all the three constituencies and that has been a bottleneck why we could not have a representative even from one constituency. Consequently, there was none to voice our aspiration in the assembly.

However, we have been seeking for the status as ‘Recognised Tribe’ in Nagaland since 1982 and I think it is the oldest pending issue in Nagaland. Nagas as a whole should be ashamed that 39 years have gone by without any fruitful result.

The state government constituted High power committee (HPC) in the year 2005 to look into the matter whether we the Tikhirs have right to be declared as a recognised tribe in Nagaland. They reported your esteem authority  on March 2017, that Tikhirs have ever right to be a recognised tribe in Nagaland.

We the Tikhirs have  approximately forty thousand population, unique culture, enough territory and origin like other ‘recognised’ tribes of Nagaland. I therefore request your high authority to take into consideration and grant our tribe an official recognition – an inalienable right due to Tikhirs.

I would like to remind your earnest authority that the most anxious desire of Tikhir people is to have the said tribe recognised by the state. Hence, Sir, kindly look into the genuine matter and declare Tikhir as a recognised Tribe in Nagaland without further delay.

Thanking You in Anticipation.

Your sincerely,

Mr. N Vcanthong Francis Tikhir
Metonger village