Students in Nagaland took to the streets on Monday, while some protested within school premises, opposing the compulsory singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ in schools and official functions following a directive issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The protest rally, organised by the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) in Kohima, saw students and citizens march from the town area to Lok Bhavan, submitting a memorandum to the President of India through the Governor of Nagaland.
Calling the directive a violation of “personal belief and collective conscience,” the federation stated that while the Naga people harbour no hostility towards national symbols, the compulsory singing of a composition containing devotional imagery was unacceptable.
Demonstrations were also reported in educational institutions in Mokokchung under the directive of the Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (AKM).
In the memorandum, the federation stated that the Naga people “harbour no hostility toward the national symbols, songs, or cultural expressions of any nation or community,” but expressed strong objection to the compulsory observance of the national song in schools and official programmes.
“The imposition of any cultural or symbolic expression upon the conscience of a people, particularly one with religious and devotional connotations, raises serious concerns regarding fundamental freedoms and internationally recognized rights,” the memorandum stated.
The federation argued that the revised version of Vande Mataram contains devotional imagery associated with the worship of a particular deity and that compulsory participation could infringe upon the beliefs of communities whose religious and cultural traditions are diverse.
“For communities such as the Nagas, whose society places immense importance on freedom of conscience, the compulsory singing or observance of such a composition is viewed as an infringement upon deeply held beliefs and cultural sensitivities,” it stated.
The memorandum also raised concerns that directing educational institutions to begin the day with the collective singing of the song could turn schools into spaces enforcing “symbolic compliance or ideological uniformity.”
It further cited provisions from the United Nations’s human rights framework, including Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which affirm the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
The federation also referenced the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, stating that indigenous communities have the right to maintain and strengthen their cultural traditions and institutions without external imposition.
Calling the protest a “peaceful democratic expression,” the memorandum urged the President to withdraw the directive mandating the singing or playing of the national song in educational institutions and official functions in Naga areas.
Addressing the gathering, NSF president Mteisuding Heraang said the protest was not directed against any nation or community but against coercion.
“The Naga people bear no hostility towards any national symbols or patriotic expressions of any nation,” he said. “However, the imposition of Vande Mataram presents a fundamental issue of conscience.”
“The song is not merely a patriotic composition. It carries devotional imagery associated with the worship of a particular deity. For the diverse communities of the Naga homeland, the compulsory singing of such a composition represents a violation of personal belief and collective conscience,” he said.
Heraang said the rally was a stand for secular principles and freedom of belief.
“In any democratic society, the will of the people remains the ultimate law. No directive, however authoritative, can claim legitimacy if it stands in contradiction to the conscience of the people it seeks to govern,” he said.
He also asserted that attempts to impose symbolic practices without consultation could undermine the cultural and historical identity of the Naga people.
“Our conscience cannot be bent by administrative directives,” he said.
The NSF said similar demonstrations were being held by its federating units and student bodies across the Naga homeland.
The rally concluded with the submission of the memorandum to the President through the Governor of Nagaland.