UNC announces 48-hrs total bandh from 16 June
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Daniel Kamei

Tamenglong, June 10 2012: United Naga Council (UNC) has announced its decision to impose 48 hours total bandh in all Nagas areas including railway construction works from 16 June midnight to June 18 midnight in protest against alleged lack of sincerity on the part of GoI and GoM in taking forward the democratic process of dialogue as well as to urge the GoI for intervention with an alternative arrangement.

The decision to impose the total bandh was adopted during the Presidential Council meeting of UNC held on 8 June 2012, according to a statement issued by UNC.

The statement stated that the total bandh was felt necessary because the GoM has willfully evaded continuation of the democratic process of dialogue brought into place through the tripartite talk at the instance of the GoI and also because both the GoI and the GoM have amply demonstrated that they will not respond to the civil submissions made time and again in good faith and with confidence in the sincerity of the State and Union Government towards the democratic process of dialogue.

The meeting also decided that the 48 hours total bandh would be followed by series of other agitation activities if no response is forthcoming from the GoI and the GoM, the statement added.

Medical services, fire-brigade, media, power and telecommunication departments will be exempted from the purview of the total bandh.

The UNC also sought the cooperation and goodwill of the general public towards making the total bandh peaceful and violence free.

Anybody violating the total bandh would be doing so at their own risk, the statement warned.

Furthermore, the UNC stated that the democratic process of dialogue over the demand for an alternative arrangement for the Nagas in Manipur through the tripartite talk of the Government of India(GoI), the Government of Manipur(GoM) and the United Naga Council(UNC), which was initiated by the Hon'ble Home Minister of India is a registration and recognition of the sharp "social divide" on communal lines due to the marginalization, discrimination and domination, which has led systematic degradation and obliteration of Naga and tribal history, culture, identity and rights to land and resources.

The last tripartite talk was held on the 30th June, 2011 at Tahamzam (Senapati).

Subsequently, submissions were made to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), GoI urging for expeditious resumption of the tripartite talk.

The Hon'ble Home Minister, GoI at Tahamzam (Senapati) and the Hon'ble Prime Minister, GoI at Raj Bhavan, Imphal had urged the UNC on 2nd November, 2011 and 3rd December, 2011 respectively to continue with the dialogue process.

After the last submission to the MHA, GoI, made on the 13th April ,2012, the UNC has held series of the consultations with Naga frontal organisations and Tribes leaders on the movement for an alternative arrangement outside the GoM.

The consultative meeting for the All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and its constituent units was held on the 27th April, 2012 at Katomei, Tahamzam(Senapati) .

It was followed by the consultation with the Naga Women Union and its constituent units on the 28th April, 2012 at Senapati village, Tahamzam.

On the 6th May, 2012, at Martyrs' Park, Mao Gate, during the observation of the 2nd death anniversary of Loshou & Chakho, the Nagas reaffirmed the commitment for an immediate alternative arrangement outside the Government of Manipur, pending settlement of the Indo-Naga issue.

On the 8th May, 2012, the demand for an alternative arrangement for the Nagas in Manipur was re-endorsed in the Naga Hoho consultative meeting held at Kohima.

A capacity building programme for Executives of the constituent units of the UNC, Naga regional organisations and Naga frontal organizations was conducted at Ukhrul from the 22nd May, 2012 to the 25th May, 2012, in which the Naga people's movement for alternative arrangement was put in perspective and strategies for pursuing the people's movement was extensively explored.

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