Nagaland: Need AFSPA Shield

What triggered the killing of 13 Konyak villagers at Tiru village in Mon district of Nagaland on December 4, 2021 by paramilitary forces? Is it because of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) or terrorism caused by Th. Muivah-led NSCN-IM? If there was no terrorism in Nagaland, the military would not have been pressed into action. Trained by China, Naga terrorists find support in ememy countries in the West as well as in the East. These enemy countries use NSCN-IM to divide Bharat. All the three wings of Bharatiya Sena have their strategy in place in Nagaland to defend the sovereignty of the country at any cost. AFSPA is crucial for the security forces to operate here. As long as security forces are there, AFSPA will stay and Army will never go as long as terrorism orchestrated by NSCN-IM remains. 

It needs to be remembered that the NNPG under the Chairmanship of Kitovi Zhimomi has accepted the Bharatiya Constitution and Kitovi and other leaders are true representatives of Nagas. That is why NNPG is no longer a problem but NSCN-IM and Th. Muivah are. It is because of Muivah that a permanent solution to peace and prosperity has been blocked. As a result, the military is stationed there and AFSPA continues to stay in the trouble-torn State. In fact, the Army and AFSPA are inseparable. The Army cannot operate without the immunity called AFSPA. If Nagas want AFSPA to be scrapped, they should first  ensure that terrorism unleashed by NSCN-IM needs to end. Th. Muivah and his Tangkhul NSCN-IM are the root cause of the Tiru incident of December 4, 2021.

The Army cannot operate without the immunity called AFSPA. If Nagas want AFSPA to go, they should first seek Army to go and if Nagas want Army to go they should first seek terrorism of NSCN-IM to go 

While expressing my profound grief and deep sorrow on the killing of 13 innocent Konyaks of Tiru village of Mon district of Nagaland, I urge upon the State and Central Governments to punish the culprits and heal the wounds of our Konyak brothers in Nagaland at a time when they are engulfed by grief and sorrow. 

In the Nagaland Assembly as well as in the Parliament, Naga leaders need to ensure that the attention of legislators is not shifted from the real problem posed by Th. Muivah and his NSCN-IM. They need to realise that the Army armoured with AFSPA is vital to prevent the design of paramilitary forces in Nagaland.   

Army and AFSPA will never go unless NSCN-IM and its egoist leader Th.Muivah come to their senses and resolve with the Central Government for a permanent peace in Nagaland. For Delhi, the nation comes first, nation is supreme. Therefore, it should be made clear that it is Army which guards the nation not terrorists like Muivah and his  Tangkhul-dominated NSCN-IM. The unfortunate incident of December 4, 2021 in Mon district of Nagaland is the by-product of terrorism spearheaded by NSCN-IM. In a nutshell, it is the duty of Naga frontal organisations like Naga Students Federation (NSF), Naga Mothers Association (NMA), All Nagaland Gaonburha Association (ANGA), Eastern Naga People's Organisation (ENPO), all regional and national political parties and all other stakeholders to put pressure on Th. Muivah and his NSCN-IM to come to the negotiating table like Naga National Political Groups (NNPG). Thus pave the way for a permanent peace and bring in rapid development. This will ensure that unfortunate incidents like the recent one – the Tiru killing of 13 Konyak villager brothers on December 4, 2021 – become a thing of the past.                  

 (The writer is a social activist)