DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Zeliang community in Peren district has expressed dismay over what it termed as the lack of action from the state government over issues concerning Lamhainamdi village.
A joint press statement issued by Zeliangrong Baudi, Zeme Council, Liangmai Council, Zeliangrong Student Union, Nagaland and Lamhai Village Council said on September 6, 2019 morning, 50-60 men armed with sophisticated weapons invaded the village, indiscriminately fired upon the villagers and burned down the houses.
That incident demonstrated serious challenge to the civilized society and an action that displayed complete disregard to the state government’s ‘status quo’ order in force in the area since June 26, 2019, it maintained.
Two days after the incident, during the visit of the Deputy Chief Minister along with DGP, a memorandum submitted by the public representing the Zeliang community demanded that the culprits involved be nabbed and their weapons seized within ten days. However, five months had passed, neither arrest has been made nor the armed faction that perpetrated the crime has been made public, it lamented.
Secondly, the press statement contented that Lamhainamdi village is not in a disputed land, as it is in the land belonging to Lamhai village which borders Chümoukedima (Angami) since time immemorial.
It therefore alleged that instead of respecting the landowner’s right, a status quo was imposed in the area based on complaint lodged by illegal occupants of the land. Furthermore, the status quo was practically applicable only to the real landowners, because all the four unrecognized villages in the vicinity are allowed to do anything with impunity, it further alleged.
Terming this scenario as unfair, the Zeliang community has declared that any restriction imposed on Lamhainamdi is “unfairly prejudiced and would now be resisted at all cost from the day of the issue of this press statement.”
