Naga body issues 15-day ultimatum to redress ‘arbitrary creation’ of 7 new Manipur districts 

IMPHAL — Manipur-based United Naga Council (UNC) issued an ultimatum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for redressal of the pending issues of “arbitrary creation” of seven new districts in Manipur in 2016 and warned of intense agitation if not resolved the issue within 15 days time

The UNC demanded the rollback of the “arbitrary creation” of seven new districts and reinstated the status quo.

The UNC in a letter to the Home Minister said that there had been social unrest in the state of Manipur in the backdrop of the arbitrary creation of seven new districts by bifurcating parent districts on December 8, 2016, during the Congress regime without the informed consent and knowledge of the stakeholders.

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“Dishonouring the four memoranda between the government of Manipur and the Naga people and the assurance from the Union government in 2011, that no decision would be taken without consulting all sections of the people and all stakeholders, including Naga bodies representing the Nagas, the issue remained unresolved,” said the letter, sent through the Deputy Commissioner of Senapati district.

The letter, signed by UNC President N.G. Lorho and General Secretary Vareiyo Shatsang said that massive protests in the form of hartals and an economic blockade were launched in all the national highways for 139 days in the state and as many as 10 rounds of tripartite talks held amongst the government of Manipur, UNC and the government of India to redress the issue.

“The last talks were held on March 9, 2019, with the assurance that a concrete proposal shall be placed by the government of Manipur in the next round of talks supposedly proposed to be held by the last week of July 2019.”

The UNC said that a missive has been sent to the office of the Special Secretary, Northeast, MHA, for resumption of the tripartite talk on January 22, 2024, and a prompt reminder on February 23 but received no response as of yet.

The Naga body said that in its Council Assembly held on May 29 and the subsequent Presidential Council meeting of the UNC held on August 9, had unanimously resolved to launch an intense agitation to ensure that the seven districts created on December 8, 2016, are rolled back and reinstated to status quo in the spirit of four standing MoUs signed with the governments and assurance of the Union government.

“We believe in dialogue and have therefore tacitly appealed to redress our grievances through petitions but having turned a deaf ear to our plea, the Nagas have resolutely taken a decision to set a stipulated period of fifteen days to address the issues.

On the expiry of the stipulated period of time, the Naga people will take up an intense form of agitation until the demands are met,” the UNC letter stated.

Naga people mostly inhabited six Manipur districts — Tamenglong, Chandel, Ukhrul, Kamjong Noney and Senapati, which are along the Nagaland and Myanmar borders.