Changki Village Council excommunicates four
Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 6
As a new all-male government prepares to take over Nagaland State, election related violence against women continues in Mokokchung district.
A 58-year-old woman was allegedly brutally beaten on the night of March 5 and excommunicated from Changki village under 29 Jangpetkong A/C in Mokokchung district. She was “doubted” of having cast a vote for a candidate of her own choosing instead of one chosen by the Changki Village Council (CVC) for elections to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly. She and three other people—two women and a man—were also excommunicated from the village for 30 years for the same reason.
This came to light after the village ‘crier’ made announcements of the CVC’s decision to excommunicate the four village residents. They have been given till Thursday (March 8) to leave the village. While the victim has been brought to Dimapur for treatment, another woman has already left for Mokokchung town and the other two are yet to leave the village.
Sources informed that the village council members had kept a strict vigil over the election process at the three polling stations in Changki village on February 27, in what is a major violation of the Indian election promise of ‘secret ballot’ to the voter. It is even more puzzling how “more than 40-50 votes” were cast in favour of a candidate unfavourable to the CVC but only four were targeted, stated sources.
The woman who was beaten is unmarried and works as a nurse at the Community Health Centre in Changki village. Sources informed that she was also allegedly forced to sign a piece of paper under duress from the CVC making her “admit guilt” before being beaten.
The Mangkolemba police station has now filed a suo motu case against the accused involved in the violence. Though the victim, or anyone else on her behalf, has not filed a complaint out of fear, the Nagaland police has registered the case under sections 320, 321, 322, 323 and 354 IPC, informed the Mokokchung police. The case has been entrusted to the Mokokchung police Women Cell for further investigation as it involves violence against women. Sources also informed that the Deputy Commissioner of Mokokchung has called the CVC for an explanation but the DC did not answer repeated calls to his phone to confirm the same.
Violating women seems to have become a favoured tool to intimidate women and free choice in Nagaland. On February 17, women were similarly beaten in Merangkong Village under 21 Tuli A/C in Mokokchung district for supporting a candidate not chosen by the Village Council. In that case, the accused continue to be “absconding” from the village.
It thus remains to be seen whether the Government of Nagaland and the Election Commission of India are willing, or able, to bring justice to the victims of election related violence against women in Nagaland.
