New Delhi, November 26 (MExN): The Forum for Understanding the Naga-India Conflict and Human Rights (FUNICH) has condemned the arrest of the United Naga Council (UNC) leaders. The Forum also appealed the State Government and Centre Government to immediately and unconditionally release the leaders in the interest of peaceful co-existence. In a statement, FUNICH maintained that the arrest of the leader of the tallest Naga Civil Apex body amounted to “discriminatory action” towards the Naga People by the Manipur State Government. “No amount of excuses will justify the action of State Government in arresting the Naga leaders,” it added. “The State Government must know that the United Naga Council (UNC) President Gaidon Kamei represent the voice of all the Nagas whose areas fall within the State jurisdiction of Manipur on issue of land, Naga culture, tradition and customary law,” FUNICH asserted It reminded the Manipur State Government that the ongoing blockade in the hill districts of Manipur State especially in the four Naga inhabited hill districts is a direct result of the State Government’s attempt to create Sadar Hills and Jiribam districts “disregarding previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Naga Civil bodies and Governments of India and the State”. Censuring the arrest “for asserting the inherent indigenous peoples’ rights of the Naga people in Manipur State”, FUNICH maintained that the State Government imprisoning the Naga leader, rather than addressing the issue democratically, amounted to the State’s inability “to address genuine concerns of the people”. Terming the arrest as unfortunate, the Forum maintained that the State Government was “busy creating social tensions amongst various ethnic communities”, instead of creating conducive environment for dialogue and discussion amongst the stakeholders. “If at all the State Government is serious on the issue, taking the confidence of all the stakeholders is expected. However, in the present case, the State Government has completely ignored the voice of all the stakeholders,” the FUNICH statement added. Moreover, FUNICH termed the State Government actions to address the issue of Sardar Hill and Jiribam as a “political gimmick” to come back to power in the State. “This is not the first time that the State Government under the Congress Party leadership has played communal politics in the State on the issue related to land when election is nearing, yet the issue remains,” the Forum stated and insisted that the State Government or the Congress Party is “not serious at all” to resolve the issue but is rather using the issue “for its own political mileage”.
