Police Commando Terror in Ukhrul leaves two dead

Amsterdam September 2 2014

Police Commando Terror in Ukhrul Manipur, India, ancestral domain of the Naga Peoples, leaves two dead and dozens severely injured

Seven weeks of protest against State of Manipur siege of Ukhrul ended in orchestrated violence when security forces of Manipur, Police Commandos, fired into the peaceful Naga crowd of demonstrators Infuriating the entire Naga Nation.

While tears, anger and fear rule Ukhrul and beyond the question is:

Why did the Police Commandos deployed by the Manipur Government attack the Tribal Naga people during a peaceful demonstration as they stood for their basic right, the right to self-determination?

The answer is complex but boils down to the point that Manipur does not recognize the ceasefire agreement between the Government of India, GOI, and the Government of the Naga Nation.

Numerous human rights violations preceded this bloody incident which should have warned the Government of India. Yet, when Ukhrul was besieged by troops of the Government of the State of Manipur no less than seven weeks ago, it did not intervene and so it implicitly told the Nagas that the ceasefire was null and void and that Manipur would be allowed to rule the Nagas.

The conflict between the Naga Nation and India has been raging since 1954 and is possible the longest running conflict of the modern world. After the British left the Nagas were first divided between Burma and India and over time again within India between the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. They were not consulted and want to be reunited. Since India invaded their territories the Nagas, who from 1929 declared they wanted to be free, successfully fought the troops of India with the result of a the second ceasefire and peace talks which commenced in 1997 and is ongoing till today.

But since Manipur does not want the Nagas to reunify but instead indulges in gross human rights violations which deadly policy the Government of India exonerates the Nagas in the state of Manipur are living on a powder keg ready to explode any time now.

Hence the Naga International Support Center calls on the International Community, notably the United Nations, and on all Human rights and conflict resolution organizations to hold the Indian Government responsible for allowing the Government of Manipur to murder, injure, sow fear and anguish.

Along with the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights NISC condemns the use of high calibre live rounds by the counter insurgency forces against peaceful rallyists killing two civilians while injuring more than 35 people on 30th August 2014 and condemns the imposition of Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code and deployment of counter insurgency forces; Manipur Police Commando (MPC) and Indian Reserved Battalion (IRB) in Ukhrul without any justification since the 13th of July 2014

NISC urges the Government of India to immediately live up to the ceasefire agreement of 1997 and to stop the Government of Manipur from violating rights and lives of the Naga Peoples.

For more information visit www.nagalim.nl or write to us [email protected]
A Naga International Support Center, NISC www.nagalim.nl A human rights organization