ZU hails Union joint secy (home) Shambu Singh
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 17 2011: The All Zeliangrong Students' Union (AMN) has congratulated Shambu Singh, joint secretary, ministry of home affairs (NE in-charge) for paying a visit to Tamenglong to interact with the public on May 12 last at the district HQ.

In a statement, the union claimed that Shambu had given an assurance that GoI will not handover NH-53 to the state PWD.

Shambu was the DC of the district during 1993-1995 and he was known for his action oriented and straight forward and sincere IAS officer, the statement added.

In the same statement, the apex Zeliangrong students' body, however, termed the Military Civic Action (MCA) programmes of the Army as a measure to weaken the Nagas and cautions the general public not to get trapped to "this mischievous propaganda of the Indian security forces who are hell-bent to weaken the Nagas through their MCA programmes" .

Coming down strongly on the "Indian security forces", the apex Zeliangrong students' body alerted all the Naga general public and other concerned organisations that the "Indian security forces" have been playing actively the divide and rule policy on the Naga society.

It particularly pointed its accusation finger at the 11 Assam Rifles on this front.

The influentual Zeliangrong students' body maintained that it has taken serious note of Brigadier AK Narula's statement asking Zeliangrong people to take their own decision and not follow the diktats of "somebody".

"We urge Brigadier Narula to know the history of Zeliangrong thoroughly before he gives advice to the people.

And we don't need spoon feeding from an army officer," it said.

Accusing the Brigadier of issuing dos and don'ts to the Zeliangrong people, AZSU-AMN reminded him that "Zeliangrong people have a history of our own and we have contributed to both the Naga nationalist movement and Indian freedom movement" through leaders like Haipou Jadonang and Rani Gaidinliu.

"Now the call of Haipou Jadonang has been responded by all Naga tribes in the northeast region including part of Myanmar.

How can Brigadier Narula say that Zeliangrong people have been following the decision of somebody when the founder of 'Naga Raj' was from our own community," AZSU said.

The students' body derided military civic action (MCA) of the armed forces saying that no amount of military civic action programmes by the military could compensate for "those untold miseries, tortures, killing, and rapes of Naga women during the last six decades".

All those harassments could only be reduced following Indo-Naga ceasefire signed in 1997, it said.

Brigadier Narula and 11 Assam Rifles have also been accused by AZSU of dividing Naga people by making publicity stunt through their "stooges and puppets" like VACC, ZU, Zeliangrong Elders Forum for Peace Brokers, ZWU, SHG etc.

"It (11 Assam Rifles) is always trying hard to foment and create factions among the Zeliangrong in particular and the Nagas in general," it said.

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