Dimapur, November 16 (MExN): The Lamhainamdi ‘Chairman and 13 other committee members selected from different Naga Tribes’ in a representation on November 15 to the Nagaland Chief Secretary has called for “immediate passing of appropriate order in respect of the Lamhainamdi Village,” among others.
The representation also demanded “withdrawal of all the biased police personnel from the village and lift the biased status quo order” within 10 days of the receipt of the representation.
As per the representation, the Lamhainamdi village was allegedly “attacked” and houses were burnt down” during the incident. The villagers blamed the Western Sumi Hoho for the incident and claimed that it was done with the “active support of the 9 IRB personnel and the Jalukie Police.”
It was “exposed to the world the fact that that the status quo order imposed by the Government had all along been issued to control the Lamhainamdi Village only,” it added.
It further alleged that posting of officers from particular community as “Deputy Commandant and the Assistant 9 IRB, Saijang, and the OC Jalukie,” had been done with the intention to “control and oppress” the Lamhainamdi Village, the “undoubted” landowner.
The representation further alleged that while the “IRB personnel and the District police have been clamping restriction upon the Lamhainamdi Village, the Keyivi Village and other recent encroachers have been given a free hand to do whatever they wish on the land.”
“It is obvious that the State machinery exists only to protect one tribe while trampling upon the rights of the other tribes. This kind of arrangement cannot continue,” it added.
Meanwhile, the representation maintained that believing that the State would do justice at the earliest, considering that the matter is under consideration with the third party involvement of the CNTC and the TPO, the Lamhainamdi Village and its inhabitants have been faithfully abiding by the Government directive.
However, the village was “permitted to attack and ransack the village with active State support and to add to it are making blatant statements in the media making superlative demands from the Government,” it pointed out.
The representation also accused the WSH of violating the status quo order and alleged that it was for the Government to take appropriate action, but nothing has been done.
The November 7 incident has now revoked the “status quo order and, henceforth, the Government must withdraw all the biased police personnel from the area and leave the village to look after its welfare,” it further stated.
“All the record pertaining to is before actual ownership of the land in question your authority,” it pointed out, reiterating that as per “record” the land in question, which “includes the land on which the Keyivi Village is established is traditional land of Lamhai Village, and considering that the land actually is Lamhai Village land, the members of the Lamhainamdi Village hailing from all the different Naga Tribes have acquired land from the landowner village.”
The lands were acquired by others only after “verifying that the land so acquired falls outside of the boundary assigned to the Keyivi Village,” the representation added. However, it noted that the November 7 “illegal action” have resulted in great loss for all the Naga tribesmen.
Accordingly, the villagers asserted in the representation that they have now “resolved to take a stand as law permits us to act in defence of our life and property.”
Requesting the immediate passing of the “appropriate order,” the representation cautioned that after the expiry of 10 days period, the Lamhainamdi Village “shall commence full scale development works on their land and act appropriately against any aggressors in defence of their life and property.”
