(Left) Dimasa and Naga women hold placards during a peace rally in Dimapur today, calling for restoration of peace in North Cachar Hills of Assam where ethnic violence is on between the Zeme and the Dimasa communities. (Right) An elderly Naga man makes his opinion heard at the peace rally. (Photo: Caisii Mao)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 29
The sea of yellow shawls of the Dimasa and the traditional dress of the Zeliangrong Nagas and other Naga tribes at a peace rally at the City Tower in Dimapur today perfectly blended into one voice for peace in North Cachar Hills district of Assam. The district has been going through a cycle of violence for the past few months between the two communities there.
As shops around the tower kept their shutters down during the rally, nearly two-thousand turned up to participate in the “Rally for restoration of peace in NC Hills” which was organized by the Zeliangrong Baudi and Dimasa Public Organization (N) and supported by the Naga Hoho. The drizzle during the rally did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the participants whose one voice called for peace as demonstrated by the placards they held.
The violence in NC Hills escalated after the killing of two Zeme Nagas in March 19 by suspected DHD militants. The violence is not new and has been continuing on for the past many months with huge toll, both human and economic. However, the latest initiative of civil society comes as an eye-opener for many concerned citizens belonging to the Dimasa and the Zeme Naga communities, to live as one. Earlier, the Naga Hoho and the NSF had visited the affected areas and distributed relief materials to the affected Naga villager in the NC Hills. In a show of oneness and solidarity, a joint visit by the Dimasa Public Organization (Nagaland) and the Zeliangrong Baudi is expected to be next week.
It was no surprise when almost all the speakers at today’s rally spoke for restoration of peace and the age-old friendly relationship between the Zeme Nagas and the Dimasa in the NC Hills.
The most significance aspect of today’s rally was that, although the two major communities of NC Hills – the Dimasa and the Zeme – could be fighting but in Dimapur the two along with the Kachari and the greater Naga communities expressed one voice, one vision and a mutual understanding for peaceful coexistence in the greater interest of one another.
Leaders also hinted at the involvement of a “third force” in the ongoing unabated violence in the NC Hills. The media has also already reported extensively on it. Over the involvement of the ‘third force’ in the ongoing violence, the Kachari Tribal Council implied that the “third force” could be the government of Assam, the government of India, the ‘ceasefire group’ or the ‘breakaway group’ from the ceasefire. “Nothing can be ruled out. There is every possibility,” a KTC leader thundered from the podium. He maintained that while the Dimasa might have a democratic right to demand for a ‘Dima Hasao Raji’ (“kingdom of the Dimasa”) and the Zeme Nagas might have a democratic right to resist it, he nevertheless rejected the use of violence to realize their demands.
Naga Students’ Federation president Mutsikhoyo Yhobu also derided the fact that the government has deployed 65,000 security personnel in the NC Hills, but have failed to “nab” even a single militant so far, while the violence continues. He demanded ‘the truth’ and digging out the root cause of the violence.
Likewise, the Naga Hoho (Assam coordinator) said that the Dimasa who make up of around 75,000 in population out of the 2 lakhs population and the Zeme Nagas (35,000) have been living peacefully for a long time. However, the conflict started when the majority Dimasa demanded the so-called ‘Dima Hasao Raji’, and the Zeme Nagas resisted it. A Zeliangrong Baudi representative also demanded the Dimasa groups to give up the demand. The issue should not be taken on communal lines, it was urged. It is the urge of the Zeliangrong Baudi for the Dimasa and the Zeme to live together and walk side by side as before, a baudi leader stated. Also, the Dimasa Public Organization (N) representative urged the two communities to live in peace.
In the same light, the president of the Dimasa Public Organization (Nagaland), Hashum, told media persons that the deployment of 65,000 security forces in an area which has 2 lakhs populations is the highest in the deployment for any district in the country. He also did not rule out the involvement of a ‘third force’ in the ongoing violence though he failed to name it.
“If the violence is just between the Dimasas and the Zeme Nagas then there could have been some solutions by now…but perhaps there is the involvement of a third force the violence is going unabated,” the DPO (N) commented to media persons. The president of the Zeliang Baudi (Nagaland), K Akhang also agreed. He disclosed that the Zeliangrong Baudi along with the DPO (N) will be jointly visiting the affected area by next week.
The Naga Hoho’s president has assured the hoho’s support to the two organizations joint effort. Saying that the land and the people are inseparable, the Naga Hoho president called for the Dimasa and the Naga to live together as before. Others who spoke at the rally included leaders of the Naga Council, Naga Mothers’ Association and the Naga Women Hoho.
