Ukhrul: The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex body of the Tangkhul Naga tribe in Manipur, has appealed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India for decisive intervention in removing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and reversing the Centre’s decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) from Naga-inhabited areas. The TNL has raised concerns about the moral, constitutional, and civilizational untenability of these actions.
In a memorandum recently submitted to NHRC Acting Chairperson Vijaya Bharati Sayani, TNL President Sword Vashum highlighted the historical and ongoing issues faced by the Naga people due to AFSPA. He described the Act as a “Colonial Relic” that has remained in place since India’s Independence, continuing to oppress the Naga population for over six decades.
“For a centuries-old civilization and in any democratic country, such a draconian law to control and deal with their own populace is, to say the least, an unmitigated slur, most appropriately, a curse on the democratic credentials and civilization of India,” said Vashum, who served as an IAAS officer before being elected as the 42nd President of TNL on May 22, 2024.
Vashum questioned the sincerity of the Government of India, stating, “Do we Nagas have to live, ever believing that the entire intent and will of the Government of India is to lock us up in the prison of fear, injustice, and prejudice? Would you dare imagine having your own people locked up even for a year in such a prison? Surely not! If so, why these double standards?”
He further argued that the total untenability of AFSPA is evident in the government’s contradictory actions. Despite acknowledging that the Naga issue is political and worthy of a political solution, the government continues to use AFSPA as a tool of control, even as a ceasefire has been in place for decades. “Self-contradiction of absurd proportion!” Vashum exclaimed.
Vashum also condemned the selective application of AFSPA, pointing out that while the law has been lifted in the Imphal Valley—where the epicenter of violence is located—it remains in effect in Naga-inhabited areas. He accused the government of harboring an “incurable prejudice” against the Nagas and of seeing “ghosts where none exist.”
The TNL urged the NHRC to advocate for the removal of AFSPA from Naga-inhabited areas, arguing that this would restore the democratic, moral, and constitutional integrity of India. “Only then can we Nagas be certain that the Government of India and the Indian people have, at long last, recognized the God-given identity and honor of the Nagas,” the memorandum stated.
The TNL also expressed its deep concern over the Government of India’s decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Indo-Myanmar border, a move ostensibly intended to contain the fallout from the ongoing Meitei-Zo Kuki conflict. Vashum described the FMR’s removal as an “utterly inhuman and arbitrary” action that continues the colonial legacy of dividing Naga-inhabited areas between India and Myanmar.
“Not content with how much we Nagas have had to suffer unimaginable trauma of physical and emotional separations as a legacy of the British colonial saga, GOI has now decided to double down on the colonial legacy by erecting fencing walls to put an end to our Blood Relationship. This is simply a naked attempt to destroy our identity and existence as a people and therefore, we shall not accept it. Overt and covert attempt to snuff out blood relationship is the most brutal violation of human rights,” he said.
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He further argued that such actions amount to the “most brutal violation of human rights” and called on the Indian government to extend basic human compassion to the Naga people.
Vashum expressed hope that, despite the challenges, the Nagas are not giving up because they trust the NHRC to deliver justice. ““Before your august body, we say here and now, we Nagas are not wild animals that we should be fenced off and segregated into your sanctuaries,” maintained Vashum,” he declared.
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