The biggest Baptist Youth Convention, the National Youth Carnival ended the final day without its main speaker, Dr Roger H Butz, Asian Missionary, USA, all thanks to the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and the security mandarins in the Union Home Ministry. As reported in The Morung Express Sunday issue, Dr Roger H Butz was held up at Siliguri, while on his way to Dimapur, the venue of the Carnival. The Union Home Ministry must explain to the Naga public as to why Dr Butz should be denied entry into Nagaland to attend one of the biggest Baptist Convention in the country. What wrong has the Baptist Youth Convention done to deserve such ill treatment? The constitution guarantees the right of assembly and there was nothing in the Youth Carnival to suggest that it was a breach of peace or to prejudice the sovereignty or integrity of India. More importantly, India under the constitution being a ‘Secular State’, the State is should observes an attitude of neutrality and impartiality towards all religions. The Home Ministry obviously is unmindful of the rights secured by the constitution. Likewise, every person is guaranteed the freedom of conscience and the freedom to profess, practice and propagate his own religion. Agreed that there are certain restrictions imposed by the State but in this particular case, there appears to be no sufficient reason to deny entry to Dr Butz. The rights on religion it must be reminded is available not only to citizens of India but to all persons, including ‘aliens’. But if the Union Home Ministry does have valid reasons thereby to deny entry to Dr Butz, this must be made known.
The failure of the Government of India to ease the RAP regime despite several suggestions and requests by the State is but a reflection of the anti-social and anti-national stereotyping of the people in Nagaland by succession of political regimes in the Centre aided and abetted by the state system. This anti-northeast syndrome is particularly prevalent in the Union Home Ministry, which operates a separate north east division to deal with not only the internal security aspects like law and order but even powerful enough to ban unlawful associations. It is a fact that it also monitors ‘extremist activities’, ‘activities of pro-militant NGOs’ and fundamentalist activities in the NE States. Such policy briefs are sometimes enforced in an uncanny fashion and thereby further alienating the people of the region.
Coming back to the RAP, this is a strong deterrent and discouragement for foreign nationals wanting to visit Nagaland and other north eastern states. Quite ridiculously even PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) cards were not valid for Protected/Restricted areas and hence, such card holders should also obtain the RAP if they desired to visit Nagaland.
For a State like Nagaland, it virtually shuts out any meaningful discourse with the outside world at a time when trade links and business opportunities have to be explored. The present Chief Minister of Nagaland has even suggested that the GoI should have sufficient faith in the capability of the state government to screen all foreigners wanting to visit the state. But it is obvious that Delhi’s mind will not change as long as it is dogmatically guided by the security theory behind the RAP regime. The decision to refuse entry to a goodwill Christian missionary once again testifies to the military centric approach being applied to address genuine issues faced by the people. Such pre-conceived notions being carried by certain power centers of the Indian establishment needs to be carefully examined. If Delhi is really concerned about internal security then it must do more to stop the infiltration of illegal immigrants into the Northeastern region more so from Bangladesh. If this is not a bigger enough threat to internal security than denying entry to a person like Dr Roger H Butz, one would have to question the Home Ministry’s judgment.
