Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, JANUARY 6
IN a move to ensure security to the Karbi people living in Nagaland, particularly the State capital Kohima, the Angami Students’ Union (ASU) along with Angami Youth Organisation (AYO) and Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) accompanied some Karbi people from Kohima to Dimapur who were heading home to Diphu this evening. These Karbis were received by representatives from Karbi Students’ Association, Karbi Anglong Peace Forum and public leaders at the office premises of the Superintendent of Police, Dimapur, and were later escorted till Dilai Gate by the Dimapur Police personnel.
Altogether, there were 36 of them, of which 34 were from Kohima and two from Dimapur.
Talking to Eastern Mirror at the SP office premises, ASU president Zakie Khate said that these Karbi people residing in and around Kohima were majority labourers mostly involved in construction works. They were assembled one after the other since early this morning by ASU and AYO volunteers.
Khate further told this reporter that ASU volunteers started reaching out to the Karbis living in Kohima since yesterday morning (Sunday) to give them security for any untoward action and also to pass on the message telling them not to panic.
“These Karbi people are not leaving Nagaland because of the ongoing tense situation, but because they were called by their parents to come back home and only return to Nagaland again after the situation cools off,” Khate said.
NSF president Tongpang Ozzukum, who also accompanied ASU and AYO volunteers to Dimapur, reiterated that the 36 Karbi people were heading home not because they were unsafe in Nagaland, but because of family pressure. “Since they were called by their parents, we only accompanied them till Dimapur to make it sure that they reach home safely,” Ozzukum said.
AYO president Medo Yhokha asked the Karbis heading home to be good will ambassadors and initiate change to usher peace among the Karbis and Nagas.
“Nagas wants to live in peace with our neighbours, so please pass on the message that we are peace loving people,” he told the Karbis before their departure.
Meanwhile, the convenor of Karbi Human Rights Watch and vice president Karbi Anglong Peace Forum, Pankaj Teron has appealed both the Nagas and Karbis ‘not to go off track from building peace’.
“We do not want the age-old relationship to come to an end,” Pankaj told Eastern Mirror while he was here in Dimapur this evening to receive the Karbi people coming from Kohima accompanied by NSF, ASU and AYO officials.
The president of Karbi Students’ Association (KSA) Biya Singh Teron also reiterated the need for peace and harmony among the Karbis and Nagas.
“Let us live as good neighbours. But this will happen only when we work together to usher peace in our land,” he said.
The KSA president also gave assurances that the Nagas will be protected in Karbi Anglong area. And to this, he also appealed the Nagas to do the same in giving protection to the Karbis living in Nagaland.
