Jotsoma council asks ANCSU to clarify ‘threat’

Dimapur, Aug. 15 (EMN): The Jotsoma Village Council, in Kohima, has noted what it called the “threatening statement” of the All Nagaland College Student’s Union (ANCSU) to ‘dismantle the DD Kendra, PHED water reservoir and the RCEMPA Music Academy Hall and to shift the Kohima Science College out of Jotsoma village jurisdiction.’ The council issued a response on Wednesday demanding clarification. The JVC stated that it was shocked to have heard the ‘threatening statement’ of the president of the ANCSU understood to have been made during a meeting with the chief minister, deputy chief minister, chief secretary and other officials of the state, on August 14 ‘to dismantle the DD Kendra, PHED Water Reservoir and the RCEMPA Music Academy Hall and to shift the Kohima Science College out of Jotsoma village Jurisdiction, if these buildings could not be dismantled.’ The council mentioned that the same person had issued a statement which was stated to have been published in the local media on April 24 2018 to “vandalize these 3 (three) buildings.” ‘The council could not understand why the president of ANCSU is targeting Kohima Science College, Jotsoma or to shift the college out of Jotsoma village jurisdiction when land encroachment exists in all government colleges of the state,’ the council stated. The council said to take the statement of the student leader as ‘not only an insult and a direct challenge to the village but also an insult to the chief minister and other officials present in the meeting.’ The council has demanded clarification ‘on what basis and with what authority he made the statement to the chief minister, Nagaland, within three days from the date of this release. The village council should not be held responsible for ‘any untoward incident arising from this issue’ if the president fails to do as asked. Our Correspondent adds: In the backdrop of the alleged threat of vandalism by the ANCSU, the Nagaland government is stated to be determined not to allow such things to happen. When contacted, a reliable source in the government who did not wish to be named, pointed out that if the college students adamantly take to the streets, they would come under police registry, which would become a blotch in their records. All this was at a time when issues with regard to student scholarships and other demands of the students’ community are being addressed by a govt. committee, the source noted. He was of the view that students cannot be led by rogue leaders; the state and its citizens should not be held to ransom for something that was in the process of being addressed. “Their demands are genuine but this is not the way to address problems.... A students union proposing violent means, is just wrong. The government cannot be cowed down like that. We are taking necessary steps and may take some time to sort everything out but we are determined not to allow such threats to intimidate us into making hasty decisions,” the source said. He also disclosed that the govt. was going to check students as to whether they were genuinely entitled to scholarship.