Nagaland 2022: Elusive peace, unfinished ‘State’ of affairs

Some notable initiatives withstanding, most aspirations ‘deferred’

Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 29 

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio recently appraised the year 2022 as a ‘good year’ for Nagaland and expressed hoped that 2023 will also be a “peaceful year and very fruitful year.”

While Rio’s remark were based on the relatively low crime rate reflected by the annual National Crime Report Bureau (NCRB) report, elsewhere things were not as clear cut. 

Policy-wise, however, the State undertook some notable initiatives, including the creation of the 16th district in the State.

As usual, with the tenure of present assembly ending early next year there was re-aligning of political configuration with ‘merger/defection’ in the major regional party while poll bugles are being sounded as the year ends.

Overall, 2022 was yet another year in which the impasse on the protracted Naga political issue remained without a  clear sign of solution, and the State enters into a New Year ‘anxiously’ with most internal issues unresolved and ‘deferred.’

The Morung Express looks at some major events that made headlines this year.

AFSPA, Oting & Justice 
Undoubtedly, Nagaland entered 2022 still ‘recovering’ from the tumultuous event that unfolded on December 4, 2021 in Oting. 

Accordingly, while the extension of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 on December 31, 2021 was met with widespread denouncement from various sections of the society, the start of the year 2022 also witnessed a ‘March against AFSPA: Walk from Dimapur to Kohima from January 10-11.  

In December, even as the Nagas, particularly the Oting citizens commemorate the tragic event, the common refrain was ‘Where is the justice?’ 

While parallel investigations were carried out by the military as well as the State authority, with the latter even filing charges against 30 members of security forces in June, the Supreme Court on July 19 has stayed further proceedings in the Suo Moto first information report (FIR) registered against the security forces personnel, citing lack of “mandatory previous sanction” from the Central Government under the Section 6 of AFSPA, 1958.

In the meantime, during the course of the year, the controversial AFSPA has been withdrawn from some areas of Nagaland, while it was partially revoked in some others as ‘countervailing’ measures. It also remained to be seen whether such arrangement would continue when the current enforcement expires on December 31. 

As the year ends and the State stands on the threshold of a new year, the stakeholders seemed to have shifted to other imperatives. 

Election, politics and more election 
The year 2022 was also the year when the issue of elections continued to make headlines including the ‘merger/defection’ of 21 NPF MLAs ‘to/with’ NDPP, depending on one’s point of view as well as the contentious issue of elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULB). 

With the Supreme Court regularly pulling up the State Government on ULB issue with reservation for women, the latter conducted a consultative meeting of all ‘stakeholders’ on March 9 and purportedly agreed, as per the Government’s account, that “The elections to the ULBs should be conducted as per the 74th Amendment Act of the Constitution of India.” 

With some stakeholders refuted the government’s version and were adamant on their demands, it remains to be seen whether the apex court’s July 29 directive to the Nagaland State Election Commission (SEC) to complete the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections and declare results for the same by the end of January 2023, would be fulfilled. 

On its part, the SEC has recently published approved the list of polling stations in 39 Municipal and Town Councils received from the Electoral Registration Officers. 

Statehood demand 
Another issue that captured the mood for 2022 was the demand for ‘Frontier Nagaland’ which got ‘shriller’ after the  Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) August 26 resolution of “not taking part in any election process of the Central and State” until and unless it’s demand is fulfilled. 

After a chain of events including abstinence from the Hornbill Festival 2022 as well as a walkathon and meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a three-member committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted by the Centre to study the ENPO’s demand visited Eastern Nagaland starting December 16.  

Against this backdrop, while poll bugles were sounded across the state, preparations are yet to be in full-swing as stakeholders observe the outcome of the statehood demand as well as formal announcement of election by the Election Commission of India.

Nevertheless, it has not deterred the people’s pre-occupation with electoral politics with the issue of ‘consensus candidate’ even reaching the Court of Law, and instances of poll-related violence in a village in Mokokchung on December 28.  

More ‘impasses’
Among others, issues related to the superannuation age for in-service doctors raised by the Nagaland In-Service Doctors’ Association (NIDA), service regularisation of RMSA teachers and All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers' Group (ANATG) members for which various forms of protests were held through the year, were deferred to the next year.

Similarly, the appointment of the state’s top cop—the Director General of Police—also continues to remain in limbo, despite the Supreme Court directing the UPSC to take a final decision by December 19, 2022.

Intra-state and inter-state land conflicts also made headlines in 2022 with the Lamhainamdi incident in the Peren- Chümoukedima border and the dispute over the Kezoltsa forest along the Nagaland-Manipur border. In both cases, the state government has remained, more or less, a passive onlooker and the unresolved issues carried over to the next year.

In terms of infrastructural development, works on most major projects picked up pace after a series of directives from the Court of Law. While the directives were issued based on public interest litigations (PILs) filed by individuals, civil society, etc., the Court also took suo moto cognisance of various yet to be completed road projects such as the National Highway (NH) 2 and four-laning of NH 29, to name a few. 

The brighter side
On a positive note, the Government of Nagaland launched two new welfare schemes— Chief Minister's Micro Finance Initiative (CMMFI) and the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS).

The CMMFI aims at generating employment opportunities for unemployed youths and entrepreneurs while the CMHIS was launched to mitigate the risk of impoverishment resulting from hospitalisation expenses and promote access to quality and affordable healthcare and accelerate State’s progress towards Universal Health Coverage.

In an effort to “curb illegal collection of money from the vehicles on roads,” the Government of Nagaland ordered the closure of all “police check gates,” except those at the inter-State boundaries in May. 

In a big step towards reconciliation process, leaders of the NSCN (IM) and the Working Committee, Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) signed a document called the ‘September Joint Accordant’ on September 14. 

Under the initiative of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation, the leaders reaffirmed the Covenant of Reconciliation (CoR) of June 13, 2009 signed by the late Isak Chishi Swu, late SS Khaplang, and Brig (Retired) S Singnya— in letter and spirit. 

This was followed by the NNPGs and the NSCN-IM agreeing to form the Council of Naga Relationships and Cooperation (CNRC) during a meeting initiated by the FNR in October, to explore “realistic ways for Nagas to move forward on the basis of Naga historical and political rights” at the earliest. 

Meanwhile, the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) conducted its first exam in 111 exam centres across the State in November with at least 50,000 candidates applying for 600 posts.

In November, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), the Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang as well as the Molungkimong and Molungyimsen Baptist Churches also celebrated 150 years of Christianity.

Notably, the Nagaland Cabinet also took two major decisions including the creation of Shamator district and official recognition of Tikhir as a separate Naga tribe on January 19. Other districts— Niuland, Chümoukedima and Tseminyu— which were created last year, were formally inaugurated in 2022.

Among others, Nagaland’s first woman Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha S Phangnon Konyak took oath in the Upper House of the Parliament on April 4.

Bringing the year to a close, the Governor appointed the new Nagaland Lokayukta on December 20, almost a year after the unceremonious exit of the first incumbent, and amendment of the Lokayukta Act.