Morung Express News
Dimapur| June 28
Days after Inavi village or rcently, “Naga united village,” was burned down by the NSCN-IM on June 16 followed by an eviction drive by the government on June 23, the villagers are still adamant to move out of the area. Notwithstanding the damage caused to the village, the people there are saying that unless the adjoining village ‘Beisumpukam’ is evicted, they will stay put. The village, which has witnessed 28 evictions in 14 years since its establishment in 1994, is willing to move out of the Intangki Reserve Forest only after their request is fulfilled by the government.
Shedding light on the reason for their stance, the village GBs Kivito and Lohoi Aye said that the establishment of Beisumpukam is as illegal as “Naga united village” is considered to be. According to a report made available to the media, the Nagaland Forest department on June 20 at a joint consultative meeting in Kohima declared both ‘Inavi united Naga village’ and ‘Beisumpukam’ as ‘encroachers.’ Beisumpukam was inaugurated by Bangdilheilung, a former minister ‘though the cabinet did not approve of such recognition,’ the report mentioned. Accordingly the report said that the Forest department also did not recognize the village and was given an eviction order on October 5, 2007.
The Naga United village which hosts about 14 major Naga tribes within the reserve forest is said to have a population of over 1,500.
In 2007 when Inavi was burned down by the NSCN-IM, the villagers say they had requested the government to heed their demand to evict its neighbouring village as well. The GBs claim that Inavi was established within the Intangki reserve in 1995 where as Beisumpukam was inaugurated a year later. They question the government why Inavi Naga United village is being targeted time and again whereas the neighboring village is spared. They further claimed that a new village named ‘Zakiesatuo’ was set up this year in between Intangki and Dhansari River, which they say the government is aware about. The villagers have thus accused the government of step-motherly treatment to them.
Spread over a wide area of land within the reserve forest, the villagers are now exposed to various sorts of diseases. Without a roof over their heads, the villagers are surviving in temporary makeshift tents. They claim that their water wells were contaminated by kerosene during the eviction and currently and have no clean drinking water. Plagued by mosquitoes and fear of invasion of wild elephants, the villagers are on vigil even at night. Despite the adversity, the villagers have made it very clear that they will hold on to their land unless their demands are met. “We will allow the government and NSCN to develop the reserve but if only Beisumpukam is evicted,” the villagers say.
