At Churches’ intervention, JCC calls off bandh

Chief minister reportedly agrees to postpone ULB elections in Nagaland   

Dimapur, Jan. 30: Right when Dimapur appeared to be on the verge of scripting yet another ugly episode of violent confrontation between the public and the state police, help arrived from an ‘unexpected corner’ on Monday to steer the town and its fretful residents to safety – at least for now.

On Monday afternoon – the second day of the JCC bandh – hundreds of youth volunteers assembled inside, as well as outside, Circuit House, Dimapur threatening to burn the building down. What triggered the mob’s anger reportedly was when some of the volunteers had noticed a dobashi transporting stationery items along with some ‘documents’ into the Circuit House.
It was reported that the ‘documents’, when checked, turned out to be e-roll papers. The volunteers set the papers to fire, while accusing the district administration of allowing the polling officials to use the rooms inside Circuit House to do their elections works.

Word swiftly spread across the town and youth volunteers started converging at the scene. Police and district administration officials also arrived. After heated persuasion, the volunteers started combing the building even as IRB personnel in riot gears made their way inside the complex.

Around the time when this confrontation was taking place at Circuit House, chief minister TR Zeliang and the leaders of Joint Coordination Committee – spearheading the protest – were having a meeting inside the Police Complex at Chumukedima.

In so many ways, the outcome of this meeting was going to decide the next turn of events, especially in Dimapur.

The meeting was an initiative of Nagaland Baptist Churches’ Council (NBCC) who had brought the two warring parties to dialogue in the presence of the NBCC members. The outcome of this dialogue was that the JCC agreed to call off the bandh from January 31 – thus dousing a spark that was rapidly threatening to take the shape of a raging wildfire.

JCC convener, Supu Jamir told reporters later in the evening that the decision to call the bandh off was in response to the chief minister’s assurance to postpone the elections to urban local bodies in Nagaland. The JCC had demanded Zeliang to postpone the elections by two months.

However the duration would be decided only by the state cabinet on Tuesday, according to Supu. He thanked the NBCC for its initiative, and chief minister TR Zeliang and home minister Y Patton ‘for exercising utmost wisdom to save the interest of the Nagas by avoiding bloodshed.’

He also thanked the volunteers and the apex Naga tribe hohos for their participation in what he said was ‘a historic’ bandh. The next step for the JCC would be to meet the leaders of all tribe hohos to discuss the Municipal Act and help dialogue with the state government, he informed.

A joint statement signed among the representatives of state government, JCC and NBCC reads thus: “In the presence of the NBCC (third party), the JCC understand and appreciate the fundamental rights of every voters in Nagaland to participate in the ULB elections (subject to Cabinet and State Election commission decision). Notwithstanding this fact, as a body representing the historical aspirations and rights of the Naga people, the JCC needs two months, with effect from 1st February, 2017, to educate and dialogue with different tribal bodies.”

It is with this understanding, it has stated, the JCC requested the state government to postpone the elections in order to help the JCC educate the public toward conducting a well-informed election which will promote development and common good of all the Nagas.

“At the consummation of the 2 months public process, JCC will ensure people’s participation in the conduct of a peaceful ULB election in the State as stated above (with 33% women reservation). The JCC will call off the bandh subject to the outcome of the final decision of the Nagaland State Election Commission.”

The chief minister’s office praised the NBCC initiative as a “dexterous move” that brokered truce between the two warring parties. “NBCC also requested the state government to give time to the JCC to reach out to the various tribal bodies, with the understanding that at the expiry of the deferment time, JCC would ensure participation of the people in the conduct of peaceful polls to the ULBs with 33% reservation for women.

“The JCC had asked for two months’ time deferment, to which it was agreed trilaterally that the time duration would depend on the approval of the State Cabinet as well as the Election Commission. The State Cabinet is scheduled to meet tomorrow at 11 am.”

In other districts too, the bandh has been called off. On Tuesday, the apex tribe organisations are scheduled to have a meeting at 2 pm in Dimapur.