Eastern Nagaland rallies against border fencing, demands Free Movement Regime

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• Participants at the rally in Tuensang on Monday.

   
  

• TUENSANG — A mass public rally swept across all districts of Eastern Nagaland on Monday, protesting the government of India's decision to enforce border fencing and scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Indo-Myanmar border.
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• The rallies, organised under the banner of Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO), saw widespread participation and solidarity.
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• The ENPO had declared a complete shutdown of all educational institutions and business establishments within Eastern Nagaland from 6 am to 6 pm in support of the demonstration.

Related: USLP organises mass rally to protest Indo-Myanmar border fencing

• Speakers at the rallies articulated the fear that these policies would divide their people and dispossess them of the ancestral land they have occupied “since time immemorial long before independent India.”

Participants at the rally in Tuensang on Monday.

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• N Sipong, the vice president of Chang Khulei Setshang, shared the contents of a memorandum addressed to the Home Ministry through the deputy commissioner of Tuensang.
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• The memorandum emphasised that "the unique history of Nagas, particularly of the Eastern Nagas, its traditions and political aspirations is at stake" with the planned border fencing and revocation of the FMR.
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• Rallies were held in Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak, and Shamator, with apex bodies of the respective tribes leading the demonstrations. Memorandums echoing these concerns were submitted to the Home Ministry through the respective deputy commissioners of each district, urging the government to respect the rights and land of the indigenous people living along the Indo-Myanmar border.
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• The rally in Longleng was organised by the Phom Peoples’ Council (PPC), Phomla Hoichem, and Phom Students’ Conference (PSC), with participation from all Naga tribes residing in the district, stated a press release.
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• Demonstrators voiced strong opposition to the revocation, arguing it threatened indigenous rights, cultural ties, and long-standing ancestral connections across the international border.
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• Addressing the gathered crowd, PPC president YB Angam Phom expressed deep concern that fencing the border would sever vital familial, social, and economic ties for Nagas living on both sides.
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• Other speakers, including PSC president C Sham-e Phom, Phomla Hoichem president A Ainyu Phom, and ex-Minister N Metpong Phom, echoed these concerns, terming the FMR revocation a grave injustice that jeopardises the survival of border communities and the broader Naga identity.
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• The leaders demanded the immediate reinstatement of the FMR and warned that the proposed fencing project would disrupt traditional ways of life, exacerbating historical injustices stemming from the colonial era.
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• The rally concluded peacefully, with participants demonstrating a firm resolve to protect their land, heritage, and cultural identity.