NSF office vandalism case: Book culprits immediately, demands MLA Achumbemo Kikon

KOHIMA— Nagaland legislator Achumbemo Kikon on Monday urged the government to “immediately” book the culprits responsible for destruction of the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) office and initiate befitting action against the guilty.

The legislator told reporters during the sit-in against the destruction of the student body’s office, questioned the prowess of the police force and administration in the capital city.

“How can they say that they have no knowledge unless there is some tacit understanding?” Kikon asked, adding that Kohima has the “best” police officers and administrators.

“If this thing happens to an office like NSF, what will happen to your private property and to your life? We all are insecure at this rate,” he added.

The Kohima Police should gear up and improve their network for citizens to feel secure, he said, adding that the culprits should be dealt with according to the law of the land.

Kikon, who was associated with the NSF for over a decade, serving the federation in various capacities including as president and speaker, said the incident was quite “emotional and sentimental” for him.

‘How can people behave like this?’ Kikon asked, adding that the NSF at no point of time tried to change the nomenclature of the building.

“I don’t understand what prompted them to go to this extent by vandalising the office. Now, if you hand over to this group of people, who has this kind of mentality, to take the Naga issue forward, what do you expect? That is the big question that has to be answered,” he said.

There are systems in place and ways to settle issues and no one should take the law into their own hands, he said.

“The government does not require the advice of a group of people who called themselves a Naga Club. They know what they should do and they should do it according to the system. The very fact that they are suggesting ‘this and that’ shows that they had some guilty mind,” he added.

He further said that there can be variations of opinions and one may not subscribe to the others, but that doesn’t mean they should come and vandalise one’s house anytime, that too in the wee hours.

As to whether the Naga Club has the mandate of the people, he said the club formed in 1918 had done its part and through the memorandum submitted to the Simon Commission, the Naga issue has been placed in the right perspective and the Naga foundation is strong because of that. The rest is history.

From 1947 onwards, after the formation of the NSF, the federation has been strengthening the movement. This is how NSF has been involved in safeguarding the Naga future, he pointed out.

“Those who claimed themselves as Naga Club at the moment, we don’t know where they have come,” he said, adding that the NSF has done the right thing by occupying the office as well as preserving and promoting the Naga political issue.

Also read: NSF office vandalism: 3 persons arrested