DIMAPUR, March 31 – Sternly reacting to the action of the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s government for the arrest of 18 persons related with the February 18 NNC Reconciliation meeeting from in and around Wokha, the NSCN-K has warned that it would not remain a silent spectator to the ongoing development in the state.
The Wokha district administration, according to a statement issued by the Lotha Regional Council, has arrested a total of 18 persons, mostly consisting of serving and retired State government employees from different places in and around Wokha, the district headquarter town, accused for being ‘organisers’ of the NNC Reconciliation meeting scheduled for February 18, which had to be called off at last hours.
A terse NSCN-K statement sent to the media said that it would not remain a mere spectator to open demonstration of such double- standard policy which was humiliating not only for the Naga nationalists but even those who were trying to foster peace and brotherhood in Nagaland.
“Whether they are from NNC or NSCN or any other group, whether they are big shots or lowly peons, if their heart is clean and if they are sincere and humble as far as Naga reconciliation is concerned we will support them wholeheartedly and therefore, this high-handed action is spiteful”, said NSCN-K statement issued by its information and publicity wing on the imprisonment of senior Lotha citizens in Wokha district recently.
Earlier, the Lotha Regional Council, NNC condemned the action of the State government in strongest terms. The information and publicity wing communiqu? of the NNC, defending the arrested persons as merely those ‘who wanted to contribute something for a good cause’ clarified that the Central Council of NNC was the organiser of the Reconciliation meeting and the Lotha people were to host it for the greater interest of the Naga people.
The communiqu? stated that the persons were wrongly charged. Those arrested were all concerned for Naga reconciliation it further said, reminding that the State government was also, ‘fully involved’, in the ongoing reconciliation process. “Therefore, it was never wrong for anybody whether State government employees or that of Naga Nationalists to involve in a good cause for Naga people.”
Ridiculing Chief Minister Rio for what it termed as ‘creating history’ for the first time in Nagaland by arresting people undertaking reconciliation and putting them behind bars, the NNC stated, “…And this will be recorded in the history of Nagas. Let Naga people know this gentleman.”