The ongoing identification drive undertaken by the Naga Council Dimapur to check illegal immigrants is really commendable task. Each and everyone irrespective of caste and creed wants to get rid of this menace.
In the past also, meetings and discussions were held with the district administration in this regard but to no avail. In one of such meetings, early Muslim settlers were also invited by the district administration to find ways and means to stop the influx of illegal immigrants but after long deliberation nothing came out as positive.
Now from a reliable source it has come to the knowledge of the early Muslim settlers that Identification Cards (ID) Cards will be issued to genuine Muslim settlers to segregate them from illegal immigrants. Here I would like to clarify that early Muslim settlers are those who entered Nagaland prior to 1964 and settled down in different parts of Nagaland particularly in and around Dimapur, when Dimapur was under Naga Hills, an undivided part of greater Assam. There are some limited families of early in Dimapur Town as well as at Naharbari and Purana Bazaar Villages. Besides documents of 1924, the names of grandparents of these families can be verified from the Electoral Roll of 1964.
These early settlers have always have held the Naga Culture and Tradition in high esteem. These settlers have completed precisely fifth to sixth generation in Nagaland, however, living hand to mouth. Some of the members of these families retired as Nagaland Government servants, some passed away and some are still in Government service.
To cite an example and to be very specific one Lt. Nurual Hussain, son of Lt. Abdul Gafur and grandson of Lt. Haji Ansor was initially appointed as Primary Teacher (Pundit as it was known during that period) in the year 1949 and in the same year, Lt. Nurul Hussain along with one Baikuntha Bora were allowed to write petitions for the people of Dimapur area as per permission and record available. Later, he joined Agriculture Department as VLW and promoted to Agriculture Inspector. After bifurcation, he was promoted to Fishery Officer and was serving as Fishery Officer till he was retired in 1984. His son Amzed Hussain and daughter Nurjahan Begum were serving as teachers in Government schools and were retired on 31st October, 2009. Now, Amzed Hussain’s son has a daughter. In this way, the family of Lt. Nurual Hussain completed 6th generation.
Now this issue of identity cards to such families those who have been residing for the past 100 years and more is a shock and also a kind of alienation if at all it is given to early settlers like us. A feeling of marginalization has come to the minds of the early settlers so please do not make us scapegoat for the crimes committed by some anti-socials or illegal immigrants.
It is my kind appeal to the learned Naga Council Dimapur not to align us with others and not to hurt our sentiments because hurting our sentiments means hurting our dignity and honour. Once again, I on behalf of the early Muslim settlers (particularly Assamese Muslims settlers) would like to appeal to the learned Naga Council Dimapur to reconsider the idea of issuing identity cards to us.
Amzed Hussain
Teacher (Retired)
GHS Singrijan,
Dimapur; Nagaland
