PHEK, OCTOBER 5 (MExN): The Centre Chakhesang Youth Organisation (CCYO) has announced the first phase of a non-cooperation movement against the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department from the intervening midnight of October 5 and 6, citing the State government’s failure to address its demands concerning the detention of Vezhoto Hesuh.
A press release from the CCYO said its seven-day ultimatum to the Chief Minister had expired without its demands being fulfilled “in toto”. As part of the agitation, the organisation said the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 would be treated as “unacceptable and non-operative” within the Centre Chakhesang area from October 6. It also announced that the existing prohibition on hunting would be lifted in the area from the same time.
The CCYO further stated that entry of outsiders, including personnel of government agencies, into Centre Chakhesang villages would remain prohibited until further notice. “Trespassers will be at their own risk,” it said. The prohibition on photography and videography within the CCYO’s jurisdiction would also continue, it added.
The organisation said it had exhausted “all reasonable avenues” of waiting for a response from the government and claimed that its concerns had not been satisfactorily addressed. The CCYO invoked Article 371A of the Constitution, asserting that the provision provides constitutional protection to Naga customary laws, social practices, traditional institutions, and land and its resources.
“Article 371A is not merely a historical provision; it represents a solemn constitutional recognition of the unique relationship of the Naga people with their customary institutions, traditions, land and natural resources,” the organisation stated. The CCYO said traditional practices and customary institutions could not be disregarded in the course of departmental enforcement, arguing that the constitutional safeguards under Article 371A should be reflected in administrative practice.
It further said its latest decision stemmed from the government’s failure to address grievances surrounding Hesuh’s detention and what it described as a broader issue concerning the treatment of Naga customary practices by the Forest Department. The non-cooperation movement against the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department will commence across the Centre Chakhesang area from October 6, the CCYO reiterated.
