Kohima, October 1 (MExN): The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has condemned what it termed as “the overarching approach of the central government” in extending draconian Armed Forces Special Powers’ Act (1958) for another six months under the pretext of “law and order” problem in major parts of Nagaland state.
Denouncing the “continuous attempt of the central government to paint the state as a land of lawlessness and chaos,” NSF President, Kegwayhun Tep and General Secretary, Süpuni NG Philo, in a press release on Saturday, to the Naga people “to extend non-cooperation to the Indian Armed forces or para-military forces” until the Act is completely lifted from the entire Naga homeland.
It also appealed to the central government to objectively assess the situation and “not act upon bias reports from their various agencies.” It asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to take the right steps forward in-order to ensure that the controversial law is repealed once and for all from the entire Naga homeland.
According to the NSF, “The world is witness to the fact that Nagaland is a beautiful state being inhabited by the peace loving citizens which is contrary to what it is made to look like by the impugned order.”
The history of excesses committed by the armed forces upon the Naga people under the cover of AFSPA calls for condemnation from all right thinking citizens of the world, it stated.
Reiterating its stand that the Naga people do not merit the “draconian Act which has empowered the Indian military and para-military war machines with unlimited powers to extend evil claws and judicial impunity to arrest, torture, kill and to commit everything inhuman,” the NSF went on to state that the “AFSPA is unconstitutional as it only encourages abuses and serious human rights violations by the armed forces acting on behalf of the state.”
The NSF asserted that it would continue its endeavour to ensure that AFSPA is repealed or completely lifted from the entire Naga homeland.
