Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Oct. 17: The Dimapur District Gorkha Indigenous Forum (DDGIF) conducted a press conference concerning the proposed ‘register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland’ or ‘RIIN,’ and the Inner Line Permit (IPL), besides to clarify what the organisation said were rumours, misleading statements and confusion surrounding the issues.
During the press conference, the co-convener of the DDGIF, Depak Lama, spoke about when and how the Gorkha people first settled in Nagaland. According to a Gazette notification from Kohima district, the first Gorkha family settled in Kohima during the 1870s. According to official records, they settled in Mokokchung during 1818, and in Wokha the first settlers were in the year 1878. Likewise, in Mon, Tuensang and Kiphire they settled prior to 1963. In Dimapur district, Nepali Basti was established in the year 1930 with around 400 Gorkha families, the forum stated.
Lama said that the Gorkha people had also settled in Chumukedima, Padam Pokhuri, Purana Bazaar, Burma Camp, Lengrigan and Kashiram village, in Dimapur district, since the late 1930s. They acknowledged the government of Nagaland and the people for conferring two Gorkhas in the Indian Administrative Services cadre, besides the opportunities for them to serve in various government departments.
Lama said that the DDGIF was formed to unite and safeguard the Gorkha people in Dimapur district and support the joint committee on prevention of illegal immigrants (JCPI) in spearheading the ‘RIIN’ and IPL issues.
The first meeting of the Gorkha community of Dimapur pertaining to the RIIN and ILP was convened on March 17 2019 at Nepali Gaon and subsequently the DDGIF was formed, Lama said.
The community’s leader informed that the DDGIF has convened nine general meetings with all Gorkha nongovernmental organisations, GB, and the public in general.
Further, the DDGIF was part of the Nagaland Gorkha Association’s delegation to the consultative meeting of non-Naga community convened by the government of Nagaland led by the chief minister and deputy chief Minister of Nagaland, it was informed.
Since the first meeting on March 17 2019, the DDGIF has been working to safeguard the Gorkha people in Dimapur since the RIIN and ILP issues began, in collaboration with the Nagaland Gorkha Association and the JCPI.
However, the group lamented that not a single meeting was attended by the Dimapur Gorkha Union (DGU) and Gorkha Students’ Union of Dimapur (GSUD) even after repeated invitation and reminders.
The DDGIF has rejected a statement given by one Anand Gurung, president of the GSUD, stated to have been posted on the Gorkha students’ union’s Facebook page.
The forum has sought an unconditional public apology from Gurung and has demanded that he resign from the post of president of the students’ union.
