Dimapur, April 17 (MExN): Apparently fed up with the alleged bias and prejudice against Nagas shown by the Indian police forces manning the sensitive Assam-Nagaland borders, a Kyong organization today demanded that the Nagaland government pull out of the 1979 agreement with Assam state. Concurrent with pulling out of the agreement, the Lotha (Kyong Naga) Hoho of Dimapur has asked the state government of Nagaland to restore all Nagaland police forces, in full strength, in the borders as was prior to the 1979 agreement.
This is for the readers that the chief ministers of Assam and Nagaland met in Meghalaya in 1979 to sign an agreement to maintain a command of the Central police Reserve Force (CCRPF) as a so-called “neutral force.” However, over the years, this so-called “neutral force” has frequently come under public and Media scrutiny for alleged prejudices against Naga persons in the Assam-Nagaland border areas.
In fact time and again over the years, the CRPF and Assam police have even been accused of apathy when Naga persons fell victims to crimes committed by non-Naga settlers, crimes such as theft, murder and torture. The non-Naga settlers are reportedly mainly Muslim illegal immigrants and Naga settlers have often accused the Assam state forces of encouraging illegal immigrants to settle and trade in the border areas as a tacit tactic to offset the Naga population.
The Lotha Hoho of Dimapur issued a copy of a letter addressed to the chief secretary of Nagaland today. The organization said that the CRPF has failed to act as a neutral force in the border areas along Wokha district, “The Lothas in particular have been suffering untold misery in the hands of perpetrators and land encroachers from Assam side as a result, many Lotha people have been murdered and tortured but no action was taken by the neutral force (CRPF),” the representation to the Nagaland government said.
In the representation, the Lotha Naga organization listed out as instances a number of incidents that allegedly breached the right to life, security and justice of Naga persons. Some of the incidents included wanton assault against Naga persons by the non-Naga settlers from the Assam side, the 1997 case of a Naga man who was buried alive by the Assamese and another similar incident when a pregnant Naga woman was buried alive and so on. In all such cases, the CRPF force and Assam state authorities have looked away, the representation strongly implied.
In this regard, the Lotha Hoho has listed out a number of demands to the Government of Nagaland. The demands include pulling out of the 1979 agreement with Assam, restoration of all Nagaland armed police force pots in the border areas, as was prior to the 1979 agreement; provision of full-strength police force; removal of the three CRPF camps at the border areas; establishment of the needful infrastructural support and facility and setting up police station; establishing developed road connectivity in the Wokha areas along the Assam-Nagaland border; development of the border areas through a sanction in the nature of a special economic package for the affected Naga population.
