FUNICH Movement Co-founder Introductory Note on recently concluded Talk cum Discussion

Conflict in any sense is not a desirable thing and more so when it is in a violent form. I am sure if there is a study done on the psychological impact of conflict, the result will be something very regressive. I can say through my experience as most of you must be aware that I come from a conflict zone. It is not a very pleasant experience. One or two side effects that I can think of is; anger and hatred. At times when I see Assam Rifles or Army misbehaving with our elders, civilian, women I just want to kill them. And this is something I am not proud of. Children should not grow up nurturing hatred inside. It can never produce any good for the Nagas nor for the Indian state.

I was furious and fill with hatred when I learned how the Centre Govt. in partnership with Association of Indian School Counsellors and Allied Professionals (AISCAP) came up with a programme to study various factors that can hamper in the overall development of a Child but whereas in the place that I grew up I have seen with my own eyes how Indian Army and Assam Rifles misbehave with the students. I would like to cite incident that I witnessed. It was in the year 1997. To the shock of my life around 100 soldiers enter into the school premises and started beating teachers without sparing even those teachers who came from Bihar and West Bengal. Catholic nuns requested not to physically assault the teachers but it went on a deaf ears. Some of the students were also slapped. Soon after that they started bringing any civilian around the vicinity of the school and started kicking, hitting with rifles butts, one of the victims who died out of the excessive beating was the brother of DG of Manipur Police, Peter Ngahayui Chiphang. All these physical assault and beating happened in front of some one thousand students. I don’t remember any attempt by any authority namely, the Deputy Commissioner or the Army setting up inquiry commission or committee for the constitutional violations by the Army or penalizing the offenders for such a barbaric act and illegal and unlawful assault. I think it should be termed as anti Indian constitution and anti Indian democracy. Just because Nagas want freedom from Indian State domination, is that the way to treat to the so called citizen of India even if they are forceful citizens?

Today we are organizing this programme with a spirit that it will bring one step closer to conflict resolution, one step closer to peace and friendship amongst various conflicting parties in the sub-continent. It is also our hope that it will pave way for prosperity and peaceful coexistence based on fundamental principle of democracy, mutual respect and liberty. Let this message resonates in other parts of the country no matter how small it may be.  

As we have a mix audience who are new to the history of conflict between the Indian State and the Naga people. Allow me to briefly touch the background. The relationship between the Indian State and the Naga people started with a violent conflict as Naga, right from British onset into their territory have been resisting outside domination and it was the same reaction when the Indian State after the Independent from British Empire tried to include the Nagas forcefully within the Indian Union. This was evident from the successful boycott of two first Indian general elections. However, disregarding the aspiration of the voice of the people, the Indian State choose to respond by sending military force to queer the Naga assertion to be left alone. To strengthen the grip of the military force one can see various Acts introduced especially in Naga Areas such as Assam Maintenance of Public Order Act of 1953, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, Nagaland Security Regulation Act of 1962, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, in 1972, Maintenance of Internal security Act (MISA) under Indira Gandhi’s Emergency in 1975 and so on. Most of them are still operational and it further gets extended to most part of NE and in Kashmir too. If my girlfriend or mother is molested or rape by the security forces I don’t think I will hesitate to fight back. Many Indian leaders often say that NE- is important for India but I don’t see how India is important for the Nagas.

History of human kind has taught us a good lesson that any forceful union and domination eventually breaks down, the sooner the better. Hence in the modern era willingness of the people to be part of a state can be said to be critical for any State advancement for Economy, Prosperity, Peaceful Co-existence and also for raising status amongst the international community. Resultantly, nation building process has become important aspect post 2nd World War especially for those newly independent States.  However, at the cost of Nation building, rights and the voice of the minority nations within a State must be respected as much as the newly free states wants their rights to be respected by their former colonizers.

I was very inspired listening to the speech of PM David Cameron, urging his countrymen and women why Scotland is important for the UK and why people of all the other three Nations; the Whales, England and North Ireland must talk to Scottish why they should stay with the UK. Mr. Cameron gives fours reasons why the UK is stronger with Scotland. I want to bring some of the points that he mentioned. He gave a list of the Scottish strengths – that includes historic universities like Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and St. Andrews; great industries: from food processing to financial services, from ship-building to science. It is very unfortunate to say that Naga under the Indian State control there is not a single medical or engineering institution or college in all the Nagas areas in NE. Not even a single business enterprise that you can identified as the indigenous product of Naga in the Indian market not to mention at the global market. I wonder what PM of India will have to say to the people of India and to the Nagas why Naga should stay with the Indian Union.

In the latest 2010 ADC (Autonomous District Council) election in Ukhrul District of Manipur only 2% of votes were cast and the story is more or less the same in other parts of Naga Areas in Manipur. Is it reasonable and logical to celebrate this kind of proxy democracy? I don’t think people like this kind of democracy. It is a direct threat to natural aspiration of human being to live in peace, prosperity, dignity and freedom. What they are fighting for is nothing less and nothing more than that.

I don’t want to speak on the current peace process between the GoI of Indian and NSCN as I am sure this is something our panellists will be talking. But for us resolving the conflict is important as this has the potential to orphan some child, widow someone, break down some families even if the conflict might be in Kashmir or in Nagaland it will have a rippling effects in other parts of India as the person who lost their live in a armed conflict can be from UP, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Tamil Nadu or Kerala. Let us raise our voice and contribute in all that we can to bring peace, mutual respect and prosperity within us. I would like to conclude by quoting a quotation from Martin Luther King Jr. and I quote “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”.