Protective Thinking: Social Background leading to RIIN, Can RIIN save Nagaland?
- Part 2 -

Pakinrichapbo *

Curiously studying the possible outcome of RIIN, one cannot stop wondering if RIIN can really save indigenous tribes of Nagaland for which I lay down the following three points for further examining the government policy to set up RIIN in such a hurry.

1. Nagas by blood: several CSOs have stated that the state government should strictly adhere to Nagas by blood while setting up RIIN.

Here who is Naga by blood? There can never be Naga by blood but there can be Ao Naga, Angami Naga by blood for members belonging to any Naga tribe don’t use the single word Naga but add tribe name first before the word Naga in the Schedule Tribe Certificate.

So if those proponents of Naga by blood really want to play Naga by blood card, a person genealogy have to be dig out as it is, a person parents and his grandparents parent being a descendent of non Naga tribe origin as a result of being adopted in to a any Naga family cannot qualify to be Naga by blood.

Even if adoption being executed during Colonial British Rules of Naga Hills or before that, biologically speaking adopted person descendants cannot qualify to become member of any Naga tribe by blood but except by respective village customs on adoption, so playing Naga by blood card can disturb the peaceful co-existence as well enable the entrenched system of patriarchy to continuously violate the fundamental rights of thousands of Naga women married to non indigenous citizens, left to fend for themselves with no administrative safeguards.

But in case tribal hohos are adamant to stick to Nagas by blood policy, each tribe hoho need to carry out extensive survey and prepare list of tribe members descended from adopted sons and daughters, figures of Non-Naga persons minor or adult adopted recently and figures of respective Naga tribe women married to Non-Nagas and submit such list to District Administration to strictly adhered to Nagas by blood policy in setting up RIIN, I believe proponents of Nagas by blood policy won’t go to such extent as it is not practical and mount to racial abuse.

In fact such rule do exists but people with contact would find no problem at all. In this regard, Office of the Deputy Commissioner: Dimapur Nagaland has issued Office Memorandum No.GEN-7/08-D/3706-13 Dated 16.05.15 prohibiting the issue of ST/Indigenous Certificate to children of Non-Naga father as well as Non-Naga children adopted by Naga parents.

In spite of standing office memorandum, people still complain of fake indigenous certificates being issued, so whose fault now?

2. 01.12.1963 cut off year: thousands of families belonging to Naga tribes has settled in Nagaland post 1963 due to several reasons, some displaced from their ancestral homes due to conflicts created by Naga national movement, several Naga tribes demarcated by state and international boundaries but having a free movement based on tribal affinity or village to village kinship closely knitted by ancestral bloodline, list can go on.

Here my point is Nagaland government need to seriously study historical background of groups of people who settle in Nagaland post 1963 and deliver justice by providing them administrative safeguards for thousands have made Nagaland their permanent home, having landed property and given voting rights.

Nagaland memory cannot begin from 1963 alone if it’s desirous to bring progress to all social groups living in the state and reduce rebellious anti social elements among the youths. People settled in Nagaland post 1963 has to be seen as an asset not a liability.

But Nagaland government seeing the pressure of indigenous groups rigidly stick to 1963 cut off year to give all benefits to indigenous groups and deny justice to affected groups. It will not be wrong to call Nagaland government a communal/racist government with no regard to human rights. Sooner or later the affected groups will be forced to seek constitutional means to secure administrative safeguards.

3. ILP: the Nagas of Nagaland last strategy to save Nagaland from illegal migrants is by forcing state government to implement ILP system in Dimapur. Even if ILP system is implemented in Dimapur, unless government restrict in issuing trade license to legal migrants or illegal immigrants’ who carry on trade under the guise of indigenous patron, their population will continue to grow.

In regard to rising population of legal migrants, illegal immigrants, labourer population will top the chart,
in fact labourer in organized sector and unorganized sector are all non indigenous people,
if government is really serious to check illegal immigrants populations,
it’s high time state government pass act or notification laying down criteria that only indigenous people will be hired to do all kind of labour work across Nagaland,
why restrict indigenous rule only to government service sector and for admission in technical course, provided indigenous people is willing to replace the non local labourer which is unlikely to happen.

Without taking such extreme measure ILP will not help reduce the growing legal/illegal immigrants’ populations in Nagaland.

In such ground reality RIIN may help secure Indigenous people all the government jobs, public office and state benefits but migrants and immigrants’ populations will continue to grow defeating the real purpose of RIIN.

Therefore the urgent question responsible citizens need to raise is, can RIIN alone save Nagaland?


(concluded)