Karaiba Chawang
Kohima | March 3
As people thronged the MLA junction in response to the ‘Black Day’ called made by ENPO to express their outpouring of grief over the killing of two youths, Lt. Pongjai and Lt. Phoba, by NSCN-IM on January 13, the message emerging from the protest rally was loud and clear. The gathering bluntly told all the warring Naga national groups to immediately stop fratricidal killing under the banner of ‘Nagaland for Christ’. The rally, besides, registering condemnation over the killing of innocent public by the armed UGs, also condemned the unabated factional clashes taking place regularly and made a fervent appeal for cessation of factional feud, so as to usher peace in the State.
ENPO President (acting), Tongthan, said that Nagas in different capacity have made sufficient appeals to the warring groups to stop killing amongst themselves.
“Division and killing is not a thing of beauty. Stop factional killing”, he said. He went on: “killing without respect for life in the name of Naga national struggle is absolutely inhuman”, and urged upon the underground cadres to be more humane, religious, and to work towards reviving the dying spirits of ‘national struggle’.
President, Konyak Union, B. Tingshem, contested that the NSCN-IM had been issuing a contradictory statement over the killing of the two boys. While the NSCN-IM’s Angami Region and the central authority had claimed that the duo was cadres of the rival faction, a high official of the organization had admitted that they were innocent and was killed due to mistaken identity, he said.
Four Konyak Tatars of the NSCN-IM had also written to their authority, stating that the two boys were innocent, and it was followed by alluding public apology from Isak Chishi Swu for his cadres’ excessiveness, which undoubtedly confirmed the innocence of the slain youths, Tingshem maintained.
Therefore, ENPO demanded that the NSCN-IM tender public apology and the cadres responsible for killing be dropped or discharged from national service. It also demanded that the state government make arrest of the cadres involved and to ensure security and peace.
Eastern Nagaland Students’ Federation (ENSF) termed factional killings as a mockery, as it is being carried out under banner of “Nagaland for Christ” and appealed to all the national workers for complete cessation of fratricidal killing amongst them.
“If they (UGs) don’t heed to the call of the public, it will be too late when they realize”, said Chillio, president of the ENSF. He said that public is willing to make any sacrifices for the national cause, however, said that the national workers should not make heavy demand on the poor public, as it is happening.
When national workers can enter into truce with the ‘enemy’, it is a weird thing they cannot keep peace amongst themselves, he added.
ENSF also firmly asserted that killing should be stopped at any cause and Nagas should start speaking out the truth.
Black Day was also observed in four districts of the state-Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire and Longleng.
The rally also offered a silent prayer for the departed soul of the Lt Pongjai and Phoba and latter marched to the Chief Minister’s official residence to submit a memorandum.
The memorandum expressed ENPO’s resentment over the State government’s silence over the killing of the two youths and demanded that the cadres involved in the killing be arrested immediately and exemplary punishment awarded.
