Dimapur, October 12 (MExN): Sharp to the NSCN-IM dismissing the Naga church’s statement on the razing of Jalukie Zangdi by the outfit, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council today issued a statement highlighting the sequence of events leading to the arson. An NBCC team visited the village on September 4 and met with the village council, church leaders and womenfolk taking note of their accounts, the council stated. The team also visited other sites of the destroyed residential houses, huts etc and “found them in pitiful condition.”
The sequence of event leading to the arson, as according to village leaders, was highlighted in the NBCC statement issued through Rev. L Kari Longchar, director of the council’s Peace Affairs: On August 28 around 30 NSCN-IM cadres carried out destruction from 7:30 am till 1:30 pm, razing 16 residential houses and 14 granaries and huts. The victimized families are 20 with 77 family members. Some even lost both granaries and huts along with their houses. Major portion of utensils, clothing and furniture were saved before the fire but they could not salvage everything.
The village’s women gathered together and resisted the action boldly but in vain as the cadres carried out the orders violently, the statement pointed out. The number of womenfolk injured while attempting to stop the razing was twelve. The more seriously injured persons left for Dimapur for treatment. They included a pregnant woman, one Kotsole, wife of one Thepurai Rhakho. The cadres used gun butts, sticks and fists in assaulting the women. They also used kerosene oil and petrol to set the house afire.
By the command of “kilo secretary”, the order was carried out under the “leadership” of one “captain” and one Tatar.
The NBCC also highlighted that on the evening of August 28, the kilo kilonser called the village elders to Hebron Camp at 8:30 pm and tried to force them to sign a document that NSCN-IM cadres did not assault the womenfolk and raze the residential houses. The elders refuse to sign the document, the statement informed. The church further gave the preceding events to the arson: There was a land dispute between Munglumukh and Jalukie Zangdi which was submitted before the NSCN-IM. The “kilo affairs” then gave a large portion of the latter village including the residential area to the former, in a verdict issued on July 4, 2007. A demarcation line was dug on July 3. However, Jalukie Zangdi village authorities made and appeal to the “ato kilonser” o July 14 against the “judgment.” But ignoring their appeal, the eviction notice came to Jalukie Zangdi on July 27 and to that effect the razing of the houses was carried out the very next day, NBCC reported.
The NBCC team also stated that they had seen some families setting up temporary houses. The ex-council chairman has already constructed one room and people there are existing on open kitchen, NBCC informed. “Since houses, granaries , huts, paddy, domestic animals and their belongings were destroyed, people are living in miserable conditions; pray for them and extend your helping to them by all churches” NBCC appealed.
