Nagas in Manipur rally against border fencing and FMR abolition, demand expedited Indo-Naga peace talks

Thousands of Nagas in Chandel and Tengnoupal districts in Manipur on Wednesday held a massive rally to protest the construction of border fencing and the abolition of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Indo-Myanmar border. The demonstration also called for expediting the Indo-Naga Peace negotiations.

Organised by the Chandel Naga People’s Organisation (CNPO) along with its affiliated units, NSUC, and Naga Chief Association, Chandel (NCAC), the mass rally was staged at three key locations: the Chandel district headquarters, Chakpikarong, and Kapaam. At the Chandel district headquarters, the rally began at the Maha Union Govt Higher Secondary School ground and ended at the DC Office complex, where a memorandum was submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Deputy Commissioner of Chandel, L Nandakumar Singh.

In the memorandum, the CNPO and leaders of the Naga tribe Hohos stated that the “Indo-Naga peace negotiations, a glimmer of hope for a peaceful resolution, are being jeopardised by the Government of India’s decision to construct border fencing in our ancestral territories”. It further noted, “This draconian measure has left us feeling betrayed, vulnerable, and apprehensive for our future, as it undermines the foundation of our autonomy, territorial rights, and self-determination,” and emphasized that “the construction of border fencing in our ancestral lands is a painful reminder of the historical injustices inflicted upon our people” as it “Erodes our sovereignty, Threatens our existence, and Undermines peace negotiations”. The Naga leaders also expressed “deep-seated sentiments regarding the imposition of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) in our ancestral territories”.

Through the memorandum, the CNPO and various Naga leaders from Chandel and Tengnoupal called for PM Modi’s immediate intervention to suspend the border fencing construction, repeal the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) in their ancestral homelands—as they view it as a usurpation of their autonomy and indigenous ways of life—and expedite the Indo-Naga Peace Talks to ensure a peaceful and lasting resolution.

In the Tengnoupal district, the rally was held from three separate locations, culminating at Lamrinkhuw village in Chandel, where a copy of the memorandum was also submitted to the Deputy Commissioner of Tengnoupal. In Chakpikarong, the rally was organised from Tampi village Lamkhai to the Public Ground, Chakpikarong.

In addition to leaders of the Hohos tribe, the rally was attended by UNC general secretary Vareiyo Shatsang, representatives of the Naga Women’s Union, ANSAM, and others. As part of the mass rally, a 12-hour total shutdown was enforced in Chandel, Chakpikarong, and various Naga-dominated areas, resulting in halted vehicular movement and the closure of government offices and educational institutions. The shutdown was called under the aegis of the Naga Students’ Union Chandel with the backing of the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM).

MT