Dimapur, March 27 (MExN): The All Zeliangrong Students’ Union (AZSU) today termed the claim of the Western Sumi Students’ Union (WSSU) and Farmers Club of Zunheboto district that the ‘Ntangki is no man’s land and does not belong to Beisumpui village or Zeliangrong people’ as shocking and uncalled for and at the same time declared that it is a wicked and selfish claim made by encroachers with right is might policy.
In a rejoinder letter received here from the AZSU president T Mirhu and ZSUN President Lungchui, while refuting the claims of the WSSU and Farmers Club of Zunheboto stated that there is not an inch of land without its ownership in Naga soil. The release stated that when the Naga movement was at its zenith for a final solution, “some Sema misguided brothers are hell-bent to encroach Ntangki Forest, the pride and only National Park in Nagaland.
Hitting out at the claims of the WSSU and the Farmers Club of Zunheboto, the release stated that if Ntangki is no man’s land then there is no meaning of land ownership or fighting for land Naga independence and added that ‘our land is our birth right’.
The release even stated that the slogan of the WSSU and Farmers Club with might is right policy will go against the Naga aspiration.
“The slogan of ‘no man’s land’ is a wicked and selfish claim made by land mongers to encroach Ntangki forest area with might is right policy which will even go against the Naga aspiration” stated the release.
Giving a brief history about the National park, the release stated that ‘Ntangki Forest originally, customarily and traditionally belonged to the Zeliangrong people of Beisumpui village and no one else’ and added that the leaders of the WSSU and Farmers Club of Zunheboto were not even born when the Beisumpui village gave the forest to the British colonial rulers in the year 1923 as a government reserved forest.
The release also stated that the claim of the Farmers club that seven to eight tribes settled in the forest would die for Ntangki instead of Naga nation ‘does not make any civic sense to the people’. The release also stated that the farmers club was making false claims as they are trying to get the sympathy of other tribes for ‘their illegal activities. The release alleged that the ‘farmers club of Zunheboto was the real land mongers of Ntangki in 1999 who shamelessly formed, ‘Union of Intankey Island’ now called Farmers Club of Zunheboto’.
The release also stated that the Union is grateful to the NSCN (IM) leaders especially to K Hurey Kilo Kilonser (Home) and Rtd VS Atem Longvipu (Chief of Naga Army) and forest Deptt. For evicting those land mongers from Ntangki in 1999 and hoped that the NSCN (IM) and the forest department would do so now for the future generation of the Nagas.
The release further stated that ‘the WSSU allegation that there is no documentary record or monumentary existence to substantiate their claim is a cheap allegation’. The release stated that there is no need for documents as the very word ‘Ntangki’ is a Zeliangrong word and added that documentary evidence is needed only for the land mongers.
The release noted that statrting from the traditional boundaries between Zeliangrong people and the Angamis the entire Dhansiripar area upto Temaki (Dhansiri) river including all the Sumi villages and other villages comes under the traditional land of the Zeliangrong people and therefore asked the people to recognise the land ownership of the Zeliangrong people even though they may be under the Dhansiripar sub-division.
The release further stated that the Ntangki forest belongs to the Zeliangrong people and added that they will defend their land at any cost, ‘Our land is our birth right’ the release stated.
The release appealed to the state government to protect and preserve the forest from land encroachers for the good of Nagas and also for the future generations to come.
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