2 killed, 11 injured in ‘Bloody Tuesday’

Posted on February 1, 2017 0 Comments1,361

TENSION MOUNTS IN NAGALAND AS MASS UNREST SPREADS

It was a ‘Bloody Tuesday’ in Nagaland on January 31, 2017 when the mass agitation against the state government, claimed the life of two youth in police firing in Dimapur and injuring three others; while seven were also injured in police firing in Longleng town. 

According to reports, one of the youth who was fatally shot was taken to CIHSR where he succumbed to injury. Hospital sources said the youth was identified as “Vizo” and reportedly the son of Neimhalie Metha. The deceased youth was among a few thousand who had gathered near the private residence of the chief minister at 3rd Mile at around 9.30 p.m. Police reportedly fired at the crowd when some attempted to gate crash inside the residence. 

  A driver said police stopped his car and asked him to take a dead body to Zion hospital. The body was yet to be identified till the time
of filing this report. 

Police also resorted to blank firing near the Office of Tenyimia Union Dimapur at around 10 p.m. to disperse a few hundred youths who had gathered to impose lightning bandh in Dimapur and also to hold agitation against the government decision to go ahead with civic polls in other towns despite having agreed to defer polls by two months so as to resolve contentious issues in the municipal act with apex Naga tribe organisations. One person was injured during the firing. 

Longleng: In Longleng town, seven were injured on Tuesday evening after police resorted to firing in order to prevent them from entering the office of the DC Longleng. Meanwhile, it was reported that the irate public damaged polling materials of all the 11 polling stations.

Those injured in Longleng firing were identified as-Ata Chemba, Shanlom Phom, Bauong Phom (all from Yachem village), Ashen Phom of
Orangkong village, Sanglem Phom and Chinglem Phom of Hukpang village and Toshiba Ao from Akhoya village. The injured were immediately rushed to hospital. It was reported that one was in critical condition.

Talking to this Correspondent, a leader of the Phom Peoples’ Council (PCC) pointed fingers at the NPF-led DAN government for all the
mess and chaos created by them, taking people’s life at risk. They warned that in the event of any unforeseen circumstances or loss of
life, the state government would be totally held responsible.

Phom Peoples’ Council (PCC) has called for bandh starting January 31, from 6 p.m. till 6 p.m. on February 1. 

Several parts of Nagaland will also be under bandhs in protest against the state government’s decision to go ahead with civic polls. 

What had infuriated public was the government reneging on its agreement signed with the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) in
Chumumedima on January 30 with NBCC as mediator. As per the tripartite agreement, the government agreed “in principle” to defer civic polls by two months with effect from February 1,2017 (the polling day). However, the government went ahead in ordering polls in several towns and district headquarters (see chart). Public resentment rose to anger over the government’s “doublespeak” in ordering polls in those towns. 

The agreement to defer polls for two months was supposed to apply to all towns and municipalities of Nagaland.

 Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang (ABAM) has expressed its “displeasure in the strongest sense” against non-compliance of the tri-partite
agreement by the state government. ABAM executive secretary in a statement also expressed remorse at the government’s “adamant move to conduct the election in places it deems safe by dividing the Naga electorate.”

ABAM also appreciated the initiatives taken by the NBCC to act as mediator between the government and the JCC. It further appealed to the government to “listen to the voice of the people to ensure that peace and harmony prevails.”

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