The Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded a National Investigation Agency probe into the Dimapur kidnapping and torture case.
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DIMAPUR — The recent kidnapping and torture of a businessman in Dimapur has once again triggered criticism of the police and renewed fears over law and order, with the Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CNCCI) on Friday demanding that the case be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
In a press statement, the CNCCI expressed shock over what it termed as continued police inaction despite the victim, Kiyeto Zhimomi, having publicly stated that he had filed multiple FIRs at different police stations in the past.
Failure to act on such complaints, the organisation stated, sends a dangerous message that criminals can operate with impunity and reflects a serious erosion of public trust in law enforcement.
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The CNCCI also raised concern over what it described as attempts to downplay or mischaracterise the incident, saying it was incomprehensible how an episode involving forcible breaking of a vehicle window, physical assault, abduction, blindfolding and sustained physical and mental torture was not being acknowledged as kidnapping and extortion.
“These were deliberate and violent acts intended to instil fear,” the organisation maintained, adding that no alternative narrative could justify or dilute the gravity of the crime.
Rejecting any linkage between such acts and the Naga political movement, the CNCCI asserted that kidnapping and extortion are “anti-Naga and anti-people” and have nothing to do with the Naga national struggle.
It asserted that what was unfolding on the ground amounted to criminal intimidation and the collection of “hafta” under the cover of ideology, damaging the image of the Naga people and eroding public confidence.
Citing the alleged failure of the Nagaland Police to act despite repeated complaints, the CNCCI demanded that the case be transferred to the NIA to ensure a fair, impartial and swift investigation, and to expose the wider network involved in kidnapping and extortion in the state.
The organisation also issued a warning, stating that the business community of Nagaland cannot be treated as “livestock” to be abducted, tortured or intimidated.
Business owners, it stated, are among the state’s most respectable citizens, contributing significantly to revenue generation, sustaining the economy and historically supporting the Naga movement.
“The time for silence is over,” the CNCCI said, sending what it described as a final message to the state government and all Naga political groups to immediately and decisively stop incidents of kidnapping, extortion and intimidation.
Failing this, the organisation warned that it would mobilise the entire business community of Nagaland to stand united, protect its members and defend its collective dignity and security.