NPMHR against violence & intolerance

DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 8 (MExN): The Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) today expressed concern at the recent spurts of violence in the form of killings and opposed all forms of violence and intolerance in Nagaland state.  

A press note from the organization pointed out that due to efforts of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) “we have lived without deliberate violence for some time and have had respite from the almost daily occurrences of killings amongst ourselves, other than common lawlessness as is prevalent in any society.” “We looked forward to a future with hope that our present and future generations will get a life worthy of living according to God’s providence,” it said.   However, it recounted with sadness the February 6 killing of a husband and wife in Shamator, the case of a dead man found hung in Jalukie, the February 2 killing of Charlie Hangsing in Dimapur and the “other cases of rapes and crimes,” which have “occurred again only to destroy whatever hopes and dreams our society have come to embrace during the last few years.”  

The NPMHR condemned and opposed all kinds of violence and intolerance that “denies the basic right to life and dignity of all human beings and particularly the Nagas in this case.”  

“We also feel sad and hang our head with shame to say that all these state of affairs are happening again despite our experiences of the past, from which all of us ought to have learnt. But the powers that be, starting from the State Governments to the grass-root social institutions have all failed in upholding their responsibilities, beside mere statements of condemnations, including us, the human rights and other civil society organizations,” it said. “So also the different Naga National groups and Governments, who are also responsible to protect the society and their people for whom they are supposed to be fighting,” the NPMHR added.  

It therefore urged the Nagaland State Government and its law-enforcing agencies to perform its “minimum basic duties” to book the culprits at the earliest while also urging the Naga National groups and Governments to “reign-in their cadres, who might be running amok and letting hell loose on fellow Nagas and countrymen in the name of national freedom or cause.”  

The NPMHR also appealed to the “aggrieved Naga brothers and sisters” of Kiphire and Shamator towns and areas “not to take the unfortunate incident out of hand which may further aggravate the situation and endanger our own fellow communities.” It urged them to rather “join hands to collectively book the culprits and award them befitting and permissible punishments.” The NPMHR reiterated its fervent appeal to “uphold the Naga filial bond and to shun all forms of violence.”