Kohima: With its ongoing demand from the state government to book culprits responsible for the destruction of the Naga Club building, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) began its sit-in protest outside the vandalised building on Monday.
“The investigation is said to be in progress but our demand is to arrest all those who are involved. If the concerned authority fails to make the arrests, NSF as a pressure group, and the student community will intensify our movement,” NSF President Kegwayhun Tep said.
While there are reports that one person has been arrested, Tep said that the vandalisation is not the handiwork of one person alone. All perpetrators, he said, should be arrested.
As to the claims made by the Naga club that the demolition of the property was done as they were the owners of the land and building, Tep questioned why the destruction of the property was done during the wee hours. He said that the vandalisation of the building is an act of theft and terrorism.
When asked about the Naga club’s request made to the police to not take cognizance of the FIR filed by the NSF as the issue should be settled in the court, Tep said that any settlement on the issue should not be made under the Indian law.
If the issue is taken to the Indian court, Tep said that the very essence of the Naga struggle will be defeated.
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MLA and former NSF president Achumbemo Kikon, who addressed the protest, clarified that the NSF at no point of time tried to change the nomenclature of the building.
“I don’t understand what prompted them to go to this extent. If you hand over to this group of people with such mentality, to take the Naga issue forward, what can we expect?” he questioned.
Condemning the incident which took place in the state’s capital Kohima, he also questioned the caliber of the district police and administration. “We all should feel secure to live here in Kohima,” Kikon said.
He also said that the culprits should be booked as per law. “There is a system in place to address issues and conflict. One should not take law into their own hands,” Kikon said.
During the sit-in-protest, students held placards that read ‘Naga Club house vandalisation at night is an act of terrorism’, ‘Anti Nagas should not exist in Naga homeland’, ‘We demand justice’, ‘Stop genocide act against the student community’, and so on.
Also Read | Naga students to protest against destruction of historic building