Dimapur, August 11 (EMN): The Western Sumi Hoho has cautioned the government of going ahead with the proposed registry of indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland (or ‘RIIN’) without undertaking a proper study of history and demographics.
The organisation issued a press release to the media on Sunday calling for proper study before the government considers the proposed move to prevent any “loopholes” and “misunderstanding.
The organisation advised that the sixteen recognized tribes of Nagaland should not be made mandatory to bring their indigenous certificates from their native villages. The reason the Sumi organisation stated was that they were already recognised and indigenous inhabitants of the state.
The organisation has advised the Nagaland authorities to ‘seriously study history and facts’ first.
“The Western Sumi Hoho has expressed its concern before the guidelines and modalities of RIIN are implemented. Before laying them out, the WSH would like to remind the state government that a proper case study of all the sixteen recognized tribes settled in different districts must be done so as to avoid any loopholes or misunderstandings aftermath,” the press release stated.
“The sixteen recognized tribes of Nagaland should not be made mandatory to bring their indigenous certificates from their native villages as suggested by some individuals in the print media as these tribes are already recognised and indigenous inhabitants of the state.”
Further, the Western Sumi Hoho stated that because the state’s government has assured that no decision will be discriminatory or in contravention to the interest of the people or any community, it expects that all will be done in a fair manner by the commission.
“A community settled anywhere in Nagaland post-1963 is still a bonafide Nagaland citizen in that particular area. So there should not be any question of acquiring certificates from their ancestral villages,” the organisation stated.
Since the commission will study, examine, recommend and give advice on all issues to chalk out the modalities for the conduct of exercise pertaining to RIIN, any step detrimental to these settlers from our own state be avoided which will invite unpleasant repercussions amongst us.
According to the press release, thousands of families and villages belonging to the sixteen Nagaland communities have settled across the state post-1963 due to several reasons.
The Western Sumi Hoho has appealed to the Nagaland state government to ‘seriously study history and facts in order to avoid any negative ramification during the process.’
The press release was appended by the president and general secretary of the Western Sumi Hoho.
