DIMAPUR, MARCH 9 (MExN): The Zeliangrong Students’ Union Nagaland and All Zeliangrong Students’ Union have expressed gratitude to the people of Peren District, particularly the student community, the district administration, NGOs, GPRN, news media, all well-wishers and general public for extending their cooperation during the 12-hour Peren District bandh called by the union in protest against the “encroachment of Ntangki National Park and forceful establishment of villages in Zeliangrong areas of Dhansiripar Sub-Division and Peren District by land encroachers.”
The Union has however strongly condemned the kidnapping of 3 Jalukielo villagers, namely Alinglung, R Kamson and their mother, by “Shikuto villagers to create tension and to disturb the bandh called by the union.”
A release issued by presidents of ZSUN and AZSU, Lungchui and T Mirhu respectively, termed as unfortunate the excessive advantage taken by “certain group of people” in grabbing land, “by using arms and the good name of Naga National Workers” which threatens peaceful co-existence of the Naga family.
Reacting to an earlier statement made by the Head GB of “newly encroached” Shikuto Village, which had said that armed miscreants hired by Jalukielo from Manipur entered and destroyed his plantations on March 6, the students said the claim was “false and baseless to cover up their crimes committed upon the innocent villagers of the real landowners.”
“The Head GB also had no moral right to question the identity of Zeliangrong brothers whether we are from Assam, Manipur or Nagaland. Zeliangrong people have the rights to settle and live in any parts of our land be it in Assam, Manipur or Nagaland if the land owners of our own people so desires.”
The Union has called upon the Nagaland Government and the ‘Naga National Govt.’ to separate the real landowners from land encroachers “and immediately book those culprits and evict the villages of those land mongers from Zeliangrong land.”
In conclusion, the release stated, “We make an ardent appeal to all Nagas that if we fail to respect and honour the rights and traditional boundaries of each other’s land, we may be heading towards a big misunderstanding within our Naga family which can even destroy the Naga National Movement, a cause dear to all of us for ‘our land is our freedom.’”
