Gorkhas in Nagaland petition for equal cut-off date in RIIN enumeration

DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Gorkha Association (NGA) has submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary requesting the inclusion of Gorkhas residing in Nagaland prior to December 1, 1963, in the ongoing enumeration process for the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN).

In the representation submitted on Monday, the NGA highlighted the long history of Gorkhas in Nagaland, dating back to the 1870s. “The earliest Gorkha settlers were brought by the Britishers and settled in Kohima, Dimapur & Chümoukedima (subdivision under Kohima district) Mokokchung, Wokha, and Naginimora under Mon district and Gorkhas have settled in almost all the districts of Nagaland,” it said.

The NGA emphasised that Nagas have always treated Gorkhas equally, and “at no point of time we have been ill-treated, discriminated or subjected to harassment.” Likewise, the Gorkhas have immensely contributed to the progress, development, and building of Nagaland, it stated.

Highlighting the long history of the Gorkhas in Nagaland, it pointed to a 1974 gazette notification that declared the Gorkha community as “non-Naga Indigenous Inhabitant of Nagaland,” granting them rights to education, property, and industrial licenses and loans. However, this notification’s scope remained limited to Kohima, Wokha, and Mokokchung districts, leaving out significant Gorkha populations in other districts, including Dimapur, Chümoukedima, and Niuland.

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“It is quite disappointing that Dimapur was then a subdivision of Kohima where sizeable Gorkhas are residing in and around Dimapur, particularly in Medziphema, Padampukhuri, Chümoukedima, Nepali Gaon, Singrijan village, Khopanala village, Lengrijan, Kashiram village, Purana Bazar. It is worth mentioning that Singrijan village & Khopanala village (established in 1939) and Nepali Gaon (established in 1930) are exclusive Gorkha villages but are excluded from the above-mentioned Gazette Notification. We feel this is a grave injustice to our people,” read the representation.

Further, referring to the recent cabinet decision and notification from the state Home Department, Political Branch, to enumerate Gorkhas settled before December 31, 1940, for RIIN inclusion, the NGA expressed concern over the discrepancy in cut-off dates between Gorkhas and other non-Naga indigenous communities like the Kachari, Kuki, Garo, and Mikir, whose cut-off date is December 1, 1963.

It requested the state government to extend the cut-off date for the Gorkha community to December 1, 1963, along with the other four tribes as “there is not a single Gorkha name that has appeared in the 1974 Gazette Notification list as no enumeration was done in the above-mentioned district especially Dimapur sub-division that includes Chümoukedima and Niuland.”