Dimapur, June 14 : The Nagaland Tribes Council has urged the Governor PB Acharya to impress upon the government of India not to further extend the ‘terrorism tag’ of Disturb Area Act in Nagaland beyond June 30 in the interests of lasting peace in the State.
The NTC in a memorandum submitted to the governor by its president Lendinoktang Ao and general secretary Nribemo Ngullie appealed for revocation of Disturb Area Act from Nagaland.
The Council lamented that Union home ministry declaring the whole State of Nagaland as a "disturbed area" for a further period of one year from June 30, 2015 to June 30, 2016 came as a cruel reality for the citizens of Nagaland.
The notification stated that the Central government was of the opinion that the entire state is in a "disturbed" and "dangerous" condition that the use of armed forces in aid of civil power is necessary.
Nagaland Tribes Council recounting the history said, the Naga National movement began much prior to India’s Independence in 1947 and due to which there was no smooth transition of Nagaland from British colonial rule to the Union of India.
“For the aspiration of the Nagas to be independent from India and the subsequent suppression of the movement by India with its massive military forces for decades together, the Nagas suffered excessively. During the last six decades period, Nagas had two cease fires with GOI. The first was with the then undivided Federal Government of Nagaland and GOI in 1964 and the second was between NSCN (IM) and GOI in 1997 followed by NSCN (K), GPRN/NSCN (Unification) and NSCN (Reformation). Although NSCN (K) unilaterally withdrew from ceasefire with GOI have been remaining peaceful with all sections of the people including the security forces since then. And whereas, the GOI has been in dialogue with NSCN (IM) during the last 18 years with the intention to hammer out a negotiated settlement. All these peaceful measures were possible and have survived just because of the unconditional cooperation of the general public since Naga people are tired of living under suppression and hostile environment.”
The Council maintained that prior to 2015 June, the enforcement of the Disturbed Area Act was promulgated for only 20 km belt along Indo-Myanmar border.
It however said, “when the underground ambushed on security forces took place in Chandel District of Manipur on 4th June 2015, Nagaland State was instantly imposed with Disturb Area Act. Whereas, Nagaland is not in Manipur and therefore placing the peaceful State of Nagaland under the Act just in the name of an incident in Manipur is ironic and illogical.”
“Whereas, the GOI is trying to resolve the Naga political issue through peaceful negotiation for which the prerequisite ceasefires were ensured out of mutual trust, barring NSCN (K), there is no militant group in the State of Nagaland. Despite the existence of few political groups, each has practically proved itself to be nonviolent peaceful segment of the society all through these years and not otherwise as can be easily assessed wrongly.”
The NTC questioned the wisdom of government of India as to how ceasefires entered into and political dialogue continued when its legal weapons such as AFSPA and all anti-terror laws were forced on the people giving the armed forces special powers to search, raid and arrest without a warrant, causing untold hardship and putting law and order in peril as though it is a terrorist infested State.
“In other words, olive branches were offered to peace loving Naga political groups on one hand whereas war has been waged against all those who are in ceasefire. Peace and War are never of the same, and the two cannot go together. If peace is to be given a place, war has to pave the way. Similarly, if GOI is at all honest and sincere at ceasefire and dialogue, the Disturb Area Act, an action of suppression, cannot be imposed on Nagaland any longer. This double standard policy of GOI proves that Nagaland was brought to its Union to be suppressed indefinitely.”
