Niamkoi Lam
For long the people of Eastern Nagaland: Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Sangtam, Phom and Yimchunger have remained “backward” in all aspect of socio-economic life which can be attributed to two main reasons – the late entry in to the patron of modern education and Christianity, and a victim to discrimination due to the state apathy. The common referral, “backward tribe” for the Eastern Nagaland is familiar to many but is hardly understood. The category of backward tribe is a part of the Government of India’s classification, a certain mechanism to bring equality in some sense in the context of geo-historical background. However what has exacerbated the utter unequal status vis-a-vis is the discrimination by those “advanced tribes” in the position of power in Kohima and the daily causal discrimination, oppressive and insulting attitudes and language shown to eastern Nagas. Today, the pandemic COVID 19 has unraveled the deep seated socio-economic chasm and discrimination even more so as the gross injustice is meted out to the people eastern Nagaland.
As it turns out, the returnees from Chennai to Nagaland arriving on 22nd May were to be quarantined according to the protocol. Yet after two days a very panicked stricken local organization in Kohima issued a diktat that all the returnees were to be sent to their respective districts. This was countered by individuals and civil society organizations alike that it was indeed unfair given that all the resources were invested in Kohima and Dimapur and specifically so because the testing centers were located in these two towns. It was beginning to remind us how some certain tribal custodians behave like Kohima belongs to just one Tribe. It was simply selfish and reeked with entitlement. Letters were written and individuals poured out their anger against this unreasonable notice.
Specifically, the Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organization (ENPO) requested that the returnees be sent to the districts only after compulsive swap tests. Before one could wrap their head around the episode, it was reported that the bus bound for Tuensang was sent off from Kohima with one positive case among them.
To reiterate, on 22nd May, 170 passengers from Chennai arrived in Nagaland. The returnees were to be quarantined initially at facilities in Kohima and Dimapur and were to be sent to their respective districts ‘only’ after they underwent the COVID tests. However on 26th May, just after 3 days the returnees were sent to their home district – Tuensang before the results of the test arrived. They were sent off in the afternoon without proper coordination with the home district. Clearly, protocols were violated and responsibilities shed. One misshapen can shatter whole collective coordination and efforts. Instead of lunch, the passengers were given biscuits and were sent off in the middle of the afternoon. It is worth the mention that the road journey between Kohima and Tuensang takes an arduous Twelve hours. One can estimate the passengers must have arrived late at night or early morning, hungry, tired and fearful. This would cause stress not just to the returnees but the hosts as well. This audacious ill treatment meted out to my people is heartbreaking, unthinkable and sadly true. The next day one positive case was found among the returnees.
At the time of this writing, the case jumped to 4 cases. Given long years of negligence by the government, one can imagine the shambles of the healthcare system in the state and can easily conceive the status of healthcare in the district, which is far from cognitive and infrastructural development. On record the quarantine facility in the district can accommodate just around 100 people and has just three ventilators in the district hospital! Therefore, naturally there is fear, panic and anger in the district today. Led by the Chang students union a protest took place in Tuensang town recognizing this unfair treatment, and the ENPO wrote to the Chief Minister on the matter. The role of legislative representatives of the region is crucial. They have the obligation of duty towards those who voted them in power and privilege. Where are they now? How can they allow this to happen to our people? In any case, the lack of visibility of our politicians in the entire state in this pandemic crisis is striking.
The pertinent question is who and what allowed this to happen? What culminated into the unjust and unfair treatment of Tuensang today? Discriminatory attitude atop the impunity enjoyed by some people in power allowed this to happen. Not that it is not required but announcing to establish a BL 2 facility in Tuensang amidst this chaos serves no balm to the open wounds. It is not just a case of inefficiency and violation of protocols by the state but a violation of rights and an act of crime! Eastern Nagaland has been routinely treated without dignity and this incident is no exception. Why did this happen to Tuensang and not any other districts? Would anyone dare to do this to other non-eastern Nagaland districts? This was deliberately done.
This debacle is a gross injustice and a crime committed by the government towards the people of Eastern Nagaland. Every Naga with some conscience should be disturbed and ashamed today for the way the government has treated the people of Tuensang. The state government has failed the people of Eastern Nagaland in its governance and policy yet again and painfully so in this pandemic. When the virus spreads like wildfire into the deep regions of Tuensang and beyond into rural areas the government and people in charge will have to answer. They will have no one else to blame.
A concerned citizen from Eastern Nagaland.
