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Joint council meeting slams SC ruling, opposes border fencing
DIMAPUR — The NSCN (IM), during a Joint Council meeting held on Tuesday, strongly condemned the controversial Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), stating that it “violates the very meaning of indigenous peoples in the context of God-given Naga nation.”
In a press release, the group termed RIIN as a “divisive venom to divide the Nagas,” asserting that “Naga as indigenous peoples have no class and no boundary. Nagas are one and Nagas are indigenous wherever they are in their God-given land, Nagalim.”
The NSCN (IM) rejected the current form of RIIN, which classifies indigenous status based on artificial state boundaries, asserting that it is “not acceptable to the Naga people.”
The joint council meeting also saw the NSCN (IM) issue a strong condemnation of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to dismiss criminal charges against Indian Army officials involved in the killing of Naga civilians in Mon district in December 2021.
It expressed outrage at the court ruling, calling it a “blatant violation of human rights and against the spirit of right to life and liberty.” The group further criticised the Supreme Court for its perceived inability to challenge the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which it said, “continues to victimise the Nagas”, even after the 1997 ceasefire agreement.
“Ironically, Nagas abhors AFSPA because it is incompatible to the spirit of the Government of India seeking Naga political solution. Nagas would not surrender tamely but fight for justice”, the press release stated.
The joint council meeting also saw the adoption of resolutions against the controversial Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) stating that it “violates the very meaning of indigenous peoples in the context of God-given Naga nation.”
The NSCN (IM) also voiced its opposition to the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the construction of border fencing, arguing that these actions violate the spirit of the Indo-Naga political talks.
“NSCN is against the scrapping of FMR and therefore shall not tolerate border fencing and we shall do whatever is deemed fit to stop such aggression against the existence of Naga brotherhood as a nation”, it added.
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