Mon, October 22 (MExN): The Konyak Union (KU) has appealed to the Principal District & Session Judge Court in Dimapur for the immediate and unconditional release of Tahngao Konyak from Pukha village and Nyemphoa Konyak from Neitong village, both located in Mon district.
Both individuals are designated leaders in their respective Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), with Tahngao serving as an executive member of the Konyak Union, Dimapur (KUD), while Nyemphoa is the president of the Neitong Students' Union (NSU), the KU stated.
The Union also expressed deep concern that the 43 Assam Rifles (AR) arrested the duo on September 27, alleging their involvement with the Yung Aung-led NSCN-K cadres at the Dimapur Railway Station area.
Despite providing valid identification and credentials proving their innocence and lack of connections to any Naga political groups (NPGs), the AR proceeded with the arrest, the KU maintained, terming it an egregious act and a gross violation of their fundamental rights as civilians and CSO leaders.
While the people of the region have embraced peace, development, and understanding, it is regrettable that the AR, under the cover of AFSPA, continues to operate with impunity, making arbitrary arrests based on suspicion and tenuous links, it argued.
These arrests not only infringe upon the rights of innocent civilians but also perpetuate fear and insecurity among the Naga people, it added. The KU also contended that “merely receiving a phone call” from an NPG does not automatically implicate an individual as a member of these organisations.
“No authority has the right to file an FIR or arrest someone based on suspicion alone, forcing them to prove their innocence in court,” it asserted, further stating that arbitrarily arresting civilians and imprisoning them solely on the basis of an FIR is not only illogical but also irrational.
“Law and order must be upheld with empathy, ensuring that humanity comes first. The Konyak Union stands by the belief that humanity should precede the law,” it added.
To this end, the KU appealed for justice and humanity while calling for the release of Tahngao and Nyemphoa at the earliest, and for an end to the misuse of power by security forces in the region.
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