The Nagas no longer tiptoe, they have now taken out a mass mobilisation in Ukhrul and Kamjong on 5 November to tell New Delhi to back off: withdraw Assam Rifles from Naga areas, end “proxy war, ” and reach a permanent political solution.
Naga districts have been longer seen as a security concern than the historic homes of a people with an identity and rights. The continued existence of the Assam Rifles has not really contributed to the feeling of safety it claimed. Instead Nagas say it has worsened the feeling of security and the feeling of alienation. So much so that Nagas protesting against it are now demanding its replacement by other central forces like the Border Security Force, among others, in particular in border areas.
Numbers did not matter. Shops, schools, offices, and public transport came to a halt in Ukhrul as the rallyists swelled in numbers. In Kamjong, a picket was held at Police Gate and Kamjong High School Gate before the mobilizsats proceeded to Awontang Traffic Point.
In the Ukhrul district administration, the Tangkhul Naga Long and other affiliated bodies delivered a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The list of demands from the Tangkhuls was straightforward and clear: Put an end to proxy war, secure the lives and property of indigenous people, resettle the displaced, and seek a permanent solution.
No amount of force, no number of silences and no administrative steps will heal what ails Manipur. The Nagas too are demanding solutions for illegal migration and the long-standing disparity between the hills and the plains. These are not demands from tiny, insignificant groups, but preconditions for peace.
They must no longer treat the Naga areas as a militariat zone, but begin treating their peoples as equal citizens. The withdrawal of the Assam Rifles is not an attack on India. It is a demand for responsive, equitable security. Ending the proxy war is not extremism. It is a demand for Indian authorities to prevent the original inhabitants of Manipur from being the collateral victims of a fight they did not start.
The Nagas have spoken. Delhi must answer.
