Extortion has become the day-to-day problem for the people of Nagaland affecting all the citizens of both high and low but most of all; it is the common men who have suffered the most. Over the years, it has taken the shape of a well-organized and lucrative industry for some unscrupulous people who are well guided, supported and abated by elements in factional political groups. What was levied by the groups as different forms of taxation earlier has been taken undue advantage of, to the extent that it fleeces the very life of the Naga people now. The end result is perceptibly draining of our economy as well as creating a deep psychological scar in our minds. Unfortunately, the government of the day is at its wits end in finding the ways to curb this social menace. So far, it has not been able to initiate even a single concrete step towards curbing this menace despite arresting extortionists almost everyday by various law enforcement agencies including civil societies thereby, propelling multiple crimes against the common people.
Extortion is nothing but unlawful and forceful demand for money, belongings and services by using violent or coercive methods making it a compulsion for the targeted people to pay and bear the brunt silently. Apart from annual and other regular taxes by various factions, extortions are committed in the name of expediencies like emergency requirements, individual requirements or the so-called personal help. These kinds of extortions are not made in the name of the organizations but if such expediencies are not obliged, the victims have to be ready for dire consequences.
Unlike robbery; in extortion, the victims are always threatened with damages in their reputation and other harms or violence against them. For common men it has become a painful routine to pay but for people in high places it is not even a bother since they can always make it up with their corrupt and unscrupulous methods of fleecing. Ultimately, it is the common men who, with limited sources of income are at the receiving end for extortion done on almost every item of mass consumption including tomatoes, onions, etc. On one side it has resulted in reduced output due to underproduction while on the other side, some entrepreneurs have exited from the market for good. Obviously, the capital usage in entrepreneurial sector is falling and the wage balance is completely altered. As the extortion raises the cut-off ability requirement for entering into entrepreneurship, there are fewer entrepreneurs, reduction of skilled laborers resulting in less production and output. Extortion menace has reached a stage in which, no sensible big business house worth its name wants to gamble its capital and resources for entrepreneurial ventures in our State. At this rate, the business houses including those small shops in our neighborhood will not only shrink but vanish altogether sooner than expected.
In a situation such as this, all the people need to play a pro-active role to check the implications of extortion activities. A conducive atmosphere needs to be created to increase the demand for labour, create large capital stock for shops and enterprises which in turn, will ensure sustain economic growth. It is also imperative that while performing the risky job of tackling extortions, the police forces are provided with the right incentives on long-term basis instead of short term benefits. This will not only boost their morales but also prevent the extortionists from corrupting the vulnerable police personnel.
In our State, many migrants to the cities or towns looking for greener pasture are not displaced by choice but by compulsion through cumulative impact of coercive measures of near or total diversion of infrastructure development projects and depletion of already developed infrastructure. Cease-fire atmosphere has given an advantage, space and free-time to the cadres to extort. The extortions and taxations are so indiscriminate as to reduce the normal family income affecting children’s education causing large number of drop-outs and multiplying the ever increasing rate of unemployment. In extreme cases, it has caused even food scarcity that compels the victims either to beg or steal.
In our State, generally there are two levels of extortion. Firstly, the extortionists weigh the benefit against the expected punishment if they were caught and secondly, it is influenced by the market forces where they act like profit maximizing firms, the level of which is determined by the structure of the market, the elasticity of demand for protective services rendered and the degree by which the extortion syndicates or their mediators can co-ordinate among themselves in fixing the prices.
Activities on this illicit economy in the hands of various groups and syndicates have been ever rapidly expanding in our State, concentrating its power in increasingly stronger structure. That is why drug trafficking, human trafficking, sale of children, commercial sexual exploitations, weapons trafficking, kidnappings and extortions activities increases day by day. Since our State is more or less systematically controlled by organized factional groups and syndicates, the presence of the State government has become near obsolete and ineffective. This has led to other illicit and unregulated economic activities including pirating, counterfeiting products, violation of copy rights, lack of tax compliance, informal employments, etc.
Although the Central as well as some other State governments have increasingly shown their concerns in eradicating this social menace on war footing, back home in our State, there is virtually no concern shown by the government of the day as proven by the increasing extortion phenomenon.
Time was when the outsiders were looked upon as exploiters but now we, Nagas are in the vice-like grip of extortionists, the stranglehold of which is not going to be easily loosened. We are being exploited by our own brothers. Who is going to tell the extortionists that one must live with one’s sweat? Despondency is worst kind of sin. It indeed hurts beyond our capacity to bear when some people’s hard-earned money are lavishly live-off by the extortionists. Unless we stopped the trend now, it will be too late because we will be compelled to live in the jungle where only the bullet will decide our lifestyle.
It is high that all concerned citizens seriously put their heads together and find ways to face the problem head-on. The government on its part must hold a series of consultations, seminars, workshops and meetings with experts from the country and abroad on the various dimensions of illicit economic activities vis-à-vis extortion. This will help in providing policy paper for formulation of framework towards the implementation of the same to address this social menace permanently.
S. I. JAMIR
President, NPCC
Extortion is nothing but unlawful and forceful demand for money, belongings and services by using violent or coercive methods making it a compulsion for the targeted people to pay and bear the brunt silently. Apart from annual and other regular taxes by various factions, extortions are committed in the name of expediencies like emergency requirements, individual requirements or the so-called personal help. These kinds of extortions are not made in the name of the organizations but if such expediencies are not obliged, the victims have to be ready for dire consequences.
Unlike robbery; in extortion, the victims are always threatened with damages in their reputation and other harms or violence against them. For common men it has become a painful routine to pay but for people in high places it is not even a bother since they can always make it up with their corrupt and unscrupulous methods of fleecing. Ultimately, it is the common men who, with limited sources of income are at the receiving end for extortion done on almost every item of mass consumption including tomatoes, onions, etc. On one side it has resulted in reduced output due to underproduction while on the other side, some entrepreneurs have exited from the market for good. Obviously, the capital usage in entrepreneurial sector is falling and the wage balance is completely altered. As the extortion raises the cut-off ability requirement for entering into entrepreneurship, there are fewer entrepreneurs, reduction of skilled laborers resulting in less production and output. Extortion menace has reached a stage in which, no sensible big business house worth its name wants to gamble its capital and resources for entrepreneurial ventures in our State. At this rate, the business houses including those small shops in our neighborhood will not only shrink but vanish altogether sooner than expected.
In a situation such as this, all the people need to play a pro-active role to check the implications of extortion activities. A conducive atmosphere needs to be created to increase the demand for labour, create large capital stock for shops and enterprises which in turn, will ensure sustain economic growth. It is also imperative that while performing the risky job of tackling extortions, the police forces are provided with the right incentives on long-term basis instead of short term benefits. This will not only boost their morales but also prevent the extortionists from corrupting the vulnerable police personnel.
In our State, many migrants to the cities or towns looking for greener pasture are not displaced by choice but by compulsion through cumulative impact of coercive measures of near or total diversion of infrastructure development projects and depletion of already developed infrastructure. Cease-fire atmosphere has given an advantage, space and free-time to the cadres to extort. The extortions and taxations are so indiscriminate as to reduce the normal family income affecting children’s education causing large number of drop-outs and multiplying the ever increasing rate of unemployment. In extreme cases, it has caused even food scarcity that compels the victims either to beg or steal.
In our State, generally there are two levels of extortion. Firstly, the extortionists weigh the benefit against the expected punishment if they were caught and secondly, it is influenced by the market forces where they act like profit maximizing firms, the level of which is determined by the structure of the market, the elasticity of demand for protective services rendered and the degree by which the extortion syndicates or their mediators can co-ordinate among themselves in fixing the prices.
Activities on this illicit economy in the hands of various groups and syndicates have been ever rapidly expanding in our State, concentrating its power in increasingly stronger structure. That is why drug trafficking, human trafficking, sale of children, commercial sexual exploitations, weapons trafficking, kidnappings and extortions activities increases day by day. Since our State is more or less systematically controlled by organized factional groups and syndicates, the presence of the State government has become near obsolete and ineffective. This has led to other illicit and unregulated economic activities including pirating, counterfeiting products, violation of copy rights, lack of tax compliance, informal employments, etc.
Although the Central as well as some other State governments have increasingly shown their concerns in eradicating this social menace on war footing, back home in our State, there is virtually no concern shown by the government of the day as proven by the increasing extortion phenomenon.
Time was when the outsiders were looked upon as exploiters but now we, Nagas are in the vice-like grip of extortionists, the stranglehold of which is not going to be easily loosened. We are being exploited by our own brothers. Who is going to tell the extortionists that one must live with one’s sweat? Despondency is worst kind of sin. It indeed hurts beyond our capacity to bear when some people’s hard-earned money are lavishly live-off by the extortionists. Unless we stopped the trend now, it will be too late because we will be compelled to live in the jungle where only the bullet will decide our lifestyle.
It is high that all concerned citizens seriously put their heads together and find ways to face the problem head-on. The government on its part must hold a series of consultations, seminars, workshops and meetings with experts from the country and abroad on the various dimensions of illicit economic activities vis-à-vis extortion. This will help in providing policy paper for formulation of framework towards the implementation of the same to address this social menace permanently.
S. I. JAMIR
President, NPCC
