Oken Jeet Sandham
The lynching of wayward underground cadres by mobs in Nagaland is not new. Such incidents had happened in the past in Wokha and Mokokchung. But the fresh lynching of three cadres of the NSCN (IM) by mobs on Saturday inside the Police lockup at Tuensang exposes both sides of the coin. One the underground organization has failed to rein in their cadres from going out of the track. Two the carelessness and hedonistic style of the state law enforcement agencies.
The unfortunate incident at Tuensang would not have happened if those cadres were properly trained with some basic class of revolutionary values. Because in most of the cases, they tend to overreact undermining the basic elements of publics, the life support of their movement. Tax collections have been going on in the State and publics are obliging to it except some refusal here and there. But the manner in which some cadres flexing their muscles and resorting to highly unacceptable way of collecting taxes from the publics even to the extent of causing harms to lives and properties or even attempting on somebody’s life will surely spawn negative environment. Such act will only make them weaker as the publics will keep them aloof. The current uncertainty prevailing in the state capital, Kohima also relates to this style. On last Thursday, one of the NSCN (K) cadres, Yehokhu Sema, attempted on the life of the former Angami Students Union President, Medo Yhokha. The powerful Angami Students Union and Angami Youth Organization had even called for an indefinite bandh in the capital, besides demanding the higher-up of the organization (NSCN-K) to hand over the culprit responsible for the excesses meted out to one of their colleagues by August 20.
The state government machineries have become a laughing stock as their law enforcement agencies are gradually reduced to toothless state of affairs. Because collection of taxes by underground cadres in front of police check-gates has already become a phenomenon. The police will simply take ongoing ceasefire between the underground groups and the government of India as an excuse of their inability to curb the menace. The trouble is even if they arrest any cadre; a barrage of questions will pour against them for arresting such cadres during peacetime. They are in a limbo. There is a near absence of policing exercise and certainly, in such a void, the other untrained elements will come in and create law and order problem. This is what the publics are witnessing.
The policemen in the check-gate at Tuensang must have been watching for quite sometime before finally taking the risk of intervening the collection drive by the cadres of the NSCN (IM) on the fateful Saturday. Because the cadres carried out the tax collection from the vehicles were in front of their Police check-gate in broad daylight. One of the cadres had reportedly shot at Havildar Kiukum Yim injuring him, while the other cadres trying to snatch away the service rifle of one of the policemen. By any standard, the manner in which the cadres in question doing the act were very much questionable, besides it was against the law of the land. Definitely the act too is not in conversant with the established norms of the particular underground outfit and in fact they had acknowledged its illegality too.
Five years ago on 28 August 2003, an NSCN (IM) cadre was beaten to death at Tuensang after outfit’s activists assaulted two student leaders. This NSCN (IM) activist was beaten to death while his companions escaped during a discussion between representatives of the Tuensang and Mon Students Federation (TDSF), Tuensang and Mon Public Organization (TMPO) and leaders of NSCN (IM) of Tuensang at Goan Burah Court in the town (Tuensang). The incident also happened during a 12-hour bandh called by the leaders of the TDSF and the TMPO to register their protest against the assault and harassment of their two leaders by the NSCN (IM) militants. Public anger mounted with surging crowd during the meeting finally beat one of the cadres to death, while others managed to escape. During this time too, the NSCN (IM) warned its cadres against harassing members of the public or organization.
Whatever the case might be, the culprits from the angle of the laws of the land have been arrested and put behind the lock up. Once they are arrested and in the custody of the police, the police are responsible for their safety. The mobs numbering about 250 storming the police station in Tuensang and beating to death the three cadres of the NSCN (IM) who were already inside the lock up in handcuffs is a serious reminder that police stations should have sufficient manpower specially during ceasefire because such cases of underground excesses will be more during such time. While also underground higher-up takes steps to streamline their lower cadres that during such peacetime, the most important thing is they build good relationship with the publics.
