Mokokchung, 22 July (MTNews): The Global Naga Forum (GNF) on Saturday stated that the people of the North East deserve a functioning Prime Minister and government in Delhi, and that the Nagas need peace and justice instead of unending iterations of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in their homeland since 1958.
In a strongly worded public statement, the GNF expressed its indignation and grief over the escalating violence in Manipur, particularly targeting the marginalized communities in the region. The Forum, comprising members mostly hailing from the northeastern states of Manipur and Nagaland, has called for urgent action to address the dire situation that has persisted for over two months.
“Some of us are indignant witnesses to the relentless campaign of brutality and oppression unleashed upon the marginalized communities in Manipur, with neither the state nor the Indian government able to stem the violence for over two months,” GNF stated.
This, GNF said, has left Manipur in a state of chaos and the people of the region wondering if the Modi government is at all interested in restoring normalcy by creating the conditions necessary for even a minimally functional government.
An important observation made by the GNF was the extension of the AFSPA by the Modi government in Nagaland and the Naga areas of Manipur, but not in the Imphal valley, where the violence started and continues.
Unspeakable Violence against Women
The Forum pointed out that, from the start, unspeakable forms of violence against women were part of the uncontrolled ethnic conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki.
Citing instances of public humiliation and sexual violence against women, GNF stated that such acts of savagery have ignited new levels of collective fury among the people. “On 4th May, two Vaiphei Kuki Zo women were paraded naked by a Meitei mob and one was raped. The brother who fought her abusers was mercilessly killed. On 15th July a Naga woman, from the Maring tribe, was beheaded by Meiteis. Public humiliation of women has become the tool of choice for enacting communal hatred and misplaced vengeance,” it mentioned.
Delayed response expose Modi’s indifference, incompetence and hypocrisy
The GNF also criticized the Prime Minister’s delayed response to the Manipur crisis and his government’s mishandling of negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the Indo-Naga political. “Prime Minister Modi decided to break his two-month long studied silence after the video of the two Vaiphei women recently went viral on social media,” it observed. Till then, GNF said, PM Modi had nothing to say to the nation about the daily loss of lives in Manipur or the wanton destruction of property including many churches.
“His indifference to the suffering of the people was total; his disdain for minorities of the region, especially Christians and indigenous peoples like the Nagas, outside of getting their votes during elections, is writ large in the duplicity with which his government has mishandled the negotiation for a peaceful resolution of the Indo-Naga political problem,” GNF said.
The GNF alleged that the Manipur crisis has exposed not only the Modi government’s incompetence in governing, but the “pernicious extent to which the power-obsessed majoritarian politics of the BJP has corrupted the soul of the nation.”
The GNF also deemed the recent condemnations of violence against women by Prime Minister Modi and Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh as “not only too little too late” but also hypocritical.
Extreme Hindu-centric Akhand Bharat agenda
It asserted that the government’s promotion of an extreme Hindu-centric agenda undermines the core democratic values of self-determination and the rule of law.
“In the face of the extreme Hindu-centric agenda so zealously pursued by the Modi government, the Akhand Bharat philosophy, purportedly promoting unity, is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to consolidate power and suppress the voices of those who yearn for the core democratic values of self-determination and the rule of law,” GNF said.
It went on to say that the Chief Justice of India’s recent intervention in seeking a response to the crisis in Manipur from the government highlights the gravity of the situation.
Appeal for Urgent Action, Peace, Justice
The GNF also called on all peace and justice minded individuals, political parties, civil society organizations, and leaders of democratic and public institutions in India, as well as international actors dedicated to the cause of human rights, to recognize the urgent need for action in Manipur. “The people need your help in demanding accountability from both the Manipur and the Central governments,” it appealed.
“Normalcy must be restored without delay so that peace and the rule of law can prevail in Manipur and the victims can receive justice,” it said.
The GNF demanded immediate, impartial and complete investigation into the violence and human rights abuses, including the cold blooded murder of the Maring Naga woman on July 15 and the public humiliation of Vaiphei Kuki women on 4 May.
The GNF maintained that the perpetrators must be made to face the consequences of their crimes, and that a long-term solution to the violence must be found.