Eviction notice served before destruction of NSF office — Naga Club

DIMAPUR — In a twist to the May 27 incident in Kohima where the office of Naga Students’ Federation and other shops located at Naga Club building were vandalised, the Naga Club (NC) has admitted to the commission of the same, via the police station.

The Naga Club in a letter to officer-in-charge, North PS, Kohima, on Sunday under the subject ‘Vexatious FIR dated 27-05-2023 filed by the NSF,’ the Naga Club gave an account of events leading to destruction of the NSF office.

Taking exception to the FIR filed by NSF alleging that their office premise and building had been damaged by unknown miscreants, NC claimed that the land on which the NSF office and some adjacent buildings were established, were given to the Naga Club by Kohima village.

The NSF and NC had been embroiled in bitter war of words over the buildings for many years.

The club in its letter to the police stated that some of the occupants of the Naga Club Building on being asked to vacate the building did the same.

And accordingly, those empty houses and rooms were demolished about three weeks ago.

However, since the building was located in the middle of the town and heavy machinery/vehicle was required to dispose the debris, it was decided that the same shall be removed in the early hours of May 27, to avoid public inconvenience, it stated.

NC claimed that the vacation notice was also served to the remaining shops and establishments, besides informing them the same in person, but that they did not vacate the building.

Some of them requested for extension of time to vacate the building which the Naga Club agreed. However, despite the lapse of the extended time the building was not vacated, it stated.

Accordingly, NC said some youths were entrusted to dispose the debris of the already demolished building in the early hours of May 27.

“Meantime, those shops and establishments who did not vacate the building despite eviction notice being served upon them, the Naga Club entrusted the youths to demolish the structure on 27-05-2023 so that the debris shall be removed on the same day without creating public inconvenience,” NC said.

Therefore, the question of vandalising public property or criminal trespass by unknown miscreants as alleged by the NSF does not arise, it stated.

“It is stated that the undersigned are not miscreants, but bonafide owner of the land and building. Rather, it is NSF that is in unlawful and forced occupation of the Naga Club Building since the eviction notice was issued,” the club claimed.

Terming the NSF’s FIR as “malicious, baseless, misconceived and misleading,” NC argued that the present issue between the NSF and the club is a civil issue competent to be tried and decided by a civil court having jurisdiction.

The club went on to state that the practice of giving a criminal cloak to cases of civil nature has time and again been deprecated by the Supreme Court and the high courts across the country.

The Naga Club further argued that the dispute pertains to immoveable property, and as such filing of FIR for offences under IPC is misconceived as the said statute is ill-equipped for deciding such cases.

The club requested police not to take cognisance of the FIR in order to allow the matter to be resolved in an appropriate court of law or before an appropriate forum.

Vandalism a serious crime — KVC

The Kohima Village Council (KVC) has condemned the “vandalism” of the ‘Naga Club Building’ which housed the offices of the NSF and All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU).

The council in press release stated that the vandalised building was a heritage and iconic monument since the beginning of the Naga movement.

“According to our Angami traditional and customary practice, it is a very serious crime to vandalise somebody’s house or properties. The unwanted vandalism of the ‘Naga Club Building’ by unknown miscreants under cover of darkness was a clear manifestation of cowardice, which needs to be seriously dealt with befitting law, by the law enforcing agencies,” KVC stated.

The council also conveyed its commitment to cooperate with law enforcing agencies, when asked for, “to pluck off the evil from our society.”