Kohima: Christian hymns were sung outside the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on Thursday as Naga students and volunteers of the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) continued their protest against the singing or playing of the revised Vande Mataram at official programmes.
The hymn-singing marked the second day of the NSF’s protest and coincided with the resumption of the Ninth Session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
NSF president Mteisuding described the protest as a “democratic singing revolution”, saying the federation had a story to tell: that Nagas are Christians and would not bow before any other God.
The protesters said the hymn-singing was a means of expressing their opposition to what the NSF has described as the imposition of Vande Mataram on the Naga people. The federation maintains that compulsory singing or playing of the song would infringe upon their religious rights.
The NSF began its protest on Tuesday, the opening day of the Assembly session, with a solidarity march from Naga Solidarity Park to the Assembly.
The issue also came up inside the Assembly on Thursday, with NPF legislator Achumbemo Kikon raising it through a Zero Hour motion.
Kikon said the agitation outside the Assembly had continued since the beginning of the session and appealed to the NSF to call off its protest, assuring that the government had taken the matter seriously. He said the issue had already been debated and deliberated upon in the Assembly.
The legislator, who is also a former NSF president, said the state government had taken note of sentiments expressed by legislators across tribal and political affiliations, as well as views expressed by the Church, civil society organisations, tribal bodies and the NSF.
Kikon said the matter was earlier referred to a committee headed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister KG Kenye to examine the applicability of laws passed by Parliament in Nagaland in the context of Article 371A.
He said the committee had been examining the issue and was preparing to submit its report to the House. However, the enactment of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, led the committee to seek further legal opinion before presenting its report.
Kikon said the state government’s alliance partner, the BJP, had also held consultations with its central leadership over the sentiments expressed by the people of Nagaland.
He urged the NSF to call off its agitation, assuring that its concerns would be addressed “at the right forum”. He said the government would continue to take the matter seriously until an amicable solution was found.
Responding to the Zero Hour motion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister KG Kenye said the issue was contentious and “hypersensitive” in the context of Article 371A.
Kenye said the committee had met twice and was prepared to table its report in the Assembly. However, the President of India subsequently assented to the Bill passed by both Houses of Parliament.
He said the committee would wait for the amended legislation to be published in the Gazette of India before proceeding further.
Once a copy is received, the committee will “as soon as possible” table its report in the House, Kenye said.
The NSF, meanwhile, continued its protest outside the Assembly, maintaining that its opposition to Vande Mataram is rooted in its Christian faith and the protection of religious rights under Article 371A.
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