144 CrPC promulgated in whole Dimapur as pre-emptive measure
Staff Reporters
Dimapur, March 4
Call it the Arab Spring of Nagaland, lightning shut down and protests by people mostly students have disrupted normal chores of the state commercial hub Dimapur today. The people took their ire to the streets against the rape of a Naga student allegedly by an Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrant (IBI) identified as one Farid Khan in the late evening of February 23 in Dimapur. The protestors demanded that the administration ‘hands over the accused in their hands’.
Holding placards which read as ‘IBI get out of Nagaland, this is our land,’ ‘Nagas are not safe in Nagaland,’ ‘We want justice, where is the law?’, ‘Stop committing crime against women’, ‘Before committing crime against women think of your own mom, daughters and sisters’, ‘Our sisters are not alone’, ‘Nagaland is not rape-land so is Dimapur not a city of rapists’, etc., the protestors marched through the streets of Dimapur today demanding ‘justice’.
Reminiscence of the Arab Spring of 2010, Wednesday’s protest was also believed to have been fueled by the social media. Today’s protest was carried not under any organisation’s banner.
Late morning saw few people started gathering near the city’s land-mark Clock Tower or City Tower. Little later a large number of people turned into mob and started forcing the shop keepers to halt their business. Panic stricken shoppers and businessmen alike ran helter-skelter as the size of the mob grew bigger and fiercer with every passing minute. At New Market vegetables were seen strewn in the streets as the vendors ran for safety. By the time security force personnel were seen in mob-gears all over Dimapur town. Re-enforcement was made with police personnel from Chumukedima and elsewhere rushing to Dimapur to control the highly charged situation.
By afternoon shops in Circular Road, Church Road, New Market and Hongkong Market were seen all shut. Later, thousands of people including students in uniform conglomerated at the office vicinity of Dimapur Deputy Commissioner to place their demand. The people demanded that the accused be handed over to them by the administration. The mob also attempted to gheroe the DC office but the alert police personnel foiled it.
Dimapur DC Wezope Kenye and his officials, Dimapur SP Meren Jamir along with his team tried their best to pacify the mob in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office late afternoon but the angry people refused to accept the former’s offer. The officials perhaps invited the people for talks and also requested them to submit a memorandum in this regard. However, the people turned down this offer saying the DC office is filled with piled memos and agreements.
Naga Students Federation (NSF), Survival Nagaland (SN), Naga Women Hoho, Dimapur and several other organizations participated in today’s protest.
Meanwhile, ‘Portlen Family’ provided refreshments to protesters
The Dimapur district administration has promulgated 144 CrPC in the district from 7 pm of Wednesday.
“Where as it is evident that the situation in an around Dimapur District is critical with destruction of properties and movement of large number of the public and thereby resulting in law and order problems. And whereas situation has arisen which justifies and calls for immediate action to be taken to prevent breach of peace in Dimapur district,”the administration notified. The District Magistrate, Dimapur promulgated 144 CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973) (2 of 1974) prohibiting assembly of 5 (five) or more than 5 ((five) persons from 7 pm of March 4 till further orders.
The Dimapur Muslim Public Forum (DMPF) has condemned the rape incident of February 23 “allegedly” committed by one Syed Farid Khan. DMP requested the law enforcement agency to punish the culprits as per the law of the land and lauded the Diphupar O.C (police) and his team for the timely action.
Mob vandalized more than 20 shops in Mew Market late this evening. Goods worth lakhs of rupees have been destroyed.
As most of the shopkeepers ran for safety without closing their shops the mob ransacked and vandalized the properties which started at around 7 pm.
Later, the mob marched towards Hongkong Market and attempted to vandalise shops there too. But the timely action from district police officials and IRB personnel foiled the action of the mob.
Later, some concerned citizens and officials from Business Association of Nagaland (BAN) pacified the mob.
