Dimapur, March 24 (MExN): Several organisations have come out in condemnation of the killings that took place in Lamhainamdi village of Peren district on March 22. The organisations also conveyed their condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls to rest in peace.
APO: The Angami Public Organisation, in a press release vehemently condemned the merciless killings, terming it as a ‘barbaric act’ to disturb peaceful coexistence and create unrest among the Nagas. “The use of weapons clearly shows the involvement of anti social elements and that such acts of cowardice should be desisted by one and all,” the APO stated while appealing all Nagas to rise up above violence of any form and to honour the basic tenets of life. It also called upon the law enforcing agencies to track down the perpetrators and award befitting punishment to the miscreants.
BYON: In another release, the Benreu Youth Organization, Nagaland expressed anguish at the ‘heartless and inhuman massacre of three innocent lives’ and vehemently condemned the sadistic act against “unarmed and innocent farmers by a group of fully armed men with automatic assault rifles.”
It urged the State Government to employ the best of its investigation agency and book the perpetrators and award them befitting punishment, “Failing which more bloodshed may erupt in future.” Further putting across the message that “tolerance is not weakness,” the BYON also called upon every right thinking Naga to condemn the incident and denounce anyone who takes pleasure in committing such crimes.
DAYO: The Dimapur Ao Youth Organization (DAYO) expressed shock and voiced out its resentment towards the barbaric action. Stating that it was an act of “terrorism of the highest form,” DAYO appealed the law enforcement agencies to book the culprits and award exemplary punishment as a deterrent to avoid future crimes. Further condemning the “gun culture,” it expressed hope that the Government of Nagaland would not allow the State to fall under a grip of lawlessness and chaos, undermining the rule of law.
DENSU: The Dimapur Eastern Nagaland Students’ Union (DENSU) meanwhile stated that such an evil act committed by the perpetrators was beyond the capacity of human’s imagination or tolerance. “When entire Nagas are seeking and praying for peace to prevail in our land, committing such evil act against the innocent people is completely inhumane and intolerable,” it said while appealing the law enforcing authority and the district administrations to leave no stone unturned while investigating the matter and punish the culprits in accordance with the law.
GNF: The Global Naga Forum (GNF) while condemning the killings, stated that such heinous crimes have no place in a modern society, and appealed to all the armed groups to refrain from violence and bloodshed. It also called on the law enforcing authorities to conduct a fair and impartial investigation into the murders, bring those responsible to justice, and take steps to ensure such killings against innocent villagers do not recur.
MHD: The Mao Hoho Dimapur (MHD) also expressed anguish over the killings in a press release on Wednesday and condemned the incident. It further appealed the concerned authority to apprehend the culprits at the earliest.
NH: The Naga Hoho vehemently condemned the heinous crime and demanded justice for the victims. “Nagas are by nature well known to resolve conflicts through mutual respect to each other based on Naga customary laws and traditions be it inter-tribal/village dispute. Resolving all forms of conflicts between communities through dialogue and peaceful means is the best policies as violence begets violence,” it stated.
Further, it appealed to all Naga national groups in particular not to create social unrest and at the same time appealed the state’s law enforcing agencies to nab the culprits and give befitting punishment without delay.
NPF: The Naga People’s Front while condemning the killings stated that, “Such merciless inhuman killing of innocent lives is not acceptable in the society and rightful punishment should be awarded to the killer/killers.”
The party also acknowledged the state Government for setting up Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case and demanded the Government to give specific time duration to its people to settle the matter and book the culprit.
Reminding the Government that it is their duty to provide security as well as to deliver justice to its people, it further demanded that the state’s law enforcing agencies look into incident with utmost sincerity and book the culprits and deliver justice to the victims.
NSF: The Naga Students’ Federation condemned the barbaric act stating that it has “outraged the sentiments of the entire Naga populace and beyond.” The NSF urged the general public to desist from furthering the violence and instead, collectively work towards ensuring that peace and tranquillity prevails. It also urged every section of society to “refrain from painting a communal picture of the unfortunate incident,” while appealing the investigating agencies and the Government of Nagaland to leave no stone unturned in order to ensure that the culprits are identified, brought to book and befitting punishments awarded to them.
NPP: The National People's Party (NPP) also condemned the “brutal and vicious killing of three innocent lives” and lamented that “such inhuman atrocities are taking place in our Christian state.” The party made a sincere appeal to all the citizens to shun such cruel acts and urged the law enforcements and Government officials to look into the matter strictly to ensure that justice is given to the victims and their families. “The guilty must be punished under the jurisdiction of Law and Order,” it asserted while appealing the Naga Community to “take steps and measures through wisdom and peaceful settlements rather than repaying violence with violence.”
RCN: In a press statement, the Rongmei Council Nagaland (RCN) strongly condemned the merciless and brutal killings and appealed all concerned to shun violence for peaceful co-existence.
“There is no room for such heartless criminals in this civilized world,” it said while urging the State Government to investigate and punish the culprits according to the law of land without delay.
RCP: The Rongmei Council Peren (RCP) while condemning the killings stated that, “Such barbaric acts were never experience in this modern civilized society and is foreign to the Naga people.”
It further appealed the government to book the culprits and levy befitting action against them.
TPO: The Tenyimi Peoples' Organisation (TPO) meanwhile demanded that the law enforcing agencies identify the murderers and take befitting action as per the law of the land. Stating that all the Naga people should come together to defeat such elements if we are to progress and move ahead as a people, the TPO asserted that such inhumane acts have no place in a civilised society and deserve to be disowned by all right-thinking people and organisations—be it civil societies or nationalist groups.
TUD: In a press release, the Tenyimi Union Dimapur vehemently condemned the heinous killing of the three innocent and defenceless civilians and asserted that it would not remain a mute spectator when any injustices are been committed against any citizens.
The TUD along with all its constituent units urged the State Government and the Administration to nab the culprits at the earliest in order to diffuse the situation and strengthen the public's trust.
TR Zeliang: Leader of Opposition TR Zeliang meanwhile expressed anguish over the killings and stated that, “The gun culture still practiced by a few unscrupulous people has no place in this modern society and should be condemned by all right thinking citizens.”
Terming the incident as a ‘blot in the history of Nagas,’ Zeliang called on the State government to “grasp the severity of the case and leave no stone unturned to book the culprits in order to come out of the era of lawlessness in our society.”
“This incident should be a wakeup call to all the sensible and right thinking citizens, regardless of tribes, religion and political affiliation, to re-evaluate and introspect into the way of functioning of these parasitic elements in our Society. It is time to collectively stand against the culture of intimidation and flexing of might, through the barrel of the gun,” Zeliang asserted.
WCH: The Western Chakhesang Hoho while condemning the incident stated that, “Such acts of barbarism have no justification and cannot be allowed to go scot-free.” The Government of the day should leave no stone unturned to see justice is upheld and further escalation of violence or communal tension is prevented, it added. It further urged the State Government to step in and bring about a permanent solution to the prolonged dispute.
ZSU Dimapur: The Zeliangrong Students Union Dimapur strongly condemned the barbaric act of violence and asked the state government to apprehend the perpetrators immediately and award befitting punishment. It also extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and expressed solidarity to all citizens affected by the ‘inhuman massacre.’
ZSU Delhi: The Zeliangrong Students' Union Delhi (ZSUD) strongly condemned the killings and stated that, “The massacre of innocent lives and unhindered firing upon unarmed and unsuspected farmers by a group of fully armed men with sophisticated weapons is a worst form of cowardice and there is no place for such barbaric actions in a civilized society.”
Stating that no cause can justify such brutality and senseless violence, the ZSUD demanded that the perpetrators of the heinous crime should be held accountable and brought to justice at the earliest.
It further appealed to the Government and the concerned law enforcing agencies to take prompt action and arrest the culprits and punish them. It also urged all Naga National Workers irrespective of the organizations, to come forward and extent active cooperation to book the culprits. “This is the time to show your commitment and integrity if you ever claim to be working for the interest of all the Nagas. Your silence and turning a blind eye to this heinous crime happening under your own nose would be taken by the Zeliangrong people and the Nagas in general as an endorsement and encouragement to such criminals,” it asserted.
CAN: The Catholic Association of Nagaland (CAN) while condemning the disturbing incident stated that, “No one who says that he/she is a Christian can commit such heinous act against fellow human being.”
Stating its commitment towards establishing Just Peace, the association appealed each Naga community to uphold and respect human life and shun any form of violence and killing.
“Just as much as we treasure our own dignified lives, we should treasure and uphold the dignity of every fellow human being,” it said while adding that better sense can prevail among conflicting social groups if only each of such groups desire Just Peace and commit themselves to arriving at it.
We believe that community stands to be all the more dignified and honourable by resolving conflicts through respect and recognition of each other’s rights, the result of which will also ensure a common good for everyone in the community, it added.
