Lotha Hoho (LH) has declared that Lotha Naga tribe did not agree with the proposal to ask Union home minister to maintain status quo on the boundary dispute with Assam since the present status did not cover the traditional ancestral lands claimed by the Lotha and other Naga tribes.
In a press note Lotha Hoho chairman Mhondamo Ovung and general secretary S Aben Ngullie said that a 12-point resolution was adopted at a meeting of all Lotha organisations concerned on Assam-Nagaland boundary issue at Wokha on August 11 under the aegis of Lotha Hoho.
The house also opposed Government of India’s (Centre) decision to demarcate inter-State boundaries of the North-eastern States by using satellite image. Mentioning that this was not practicable as Nagaland did not have any clear boundary demarcation on the ground with Assam, the members added that satellite imaging may be used only after physical landmarks were established.
Asserting that Lotha Naga tribe stood for restoration of “ancestral, traditional and historical” lands before final demarcation of Nagaland’s boundary with Assam, the meeting urged the State government to revoke/abrogate interim agreements made with Assam since 1972 because the latter failed to honour the agreements and violated them on many occasions, besides abusing the services of neutral force.
The house also called for stopping deployment of neutral force, alleging that it did not exercise fairness and always favoured Assam side and did not even allow implementation of Centre and North Eastern Council (NEC) projects in the disputed belt.
It said that Centre or NEC projects had no boundary within the country or the region.
The house declared that Lothas Nagas did not accept the 1925 British India’s notification on Assam-Nagaland boundary.
Mentioning that Assam had filed a petition at Supreme Court in 1988, but later testified that the 1925 boundary was not verified by Survey of India when asked, tribe members asserted that any other maps prepared by Survey of India on inter-State boundary was not acceptable, unless authenticated by the Nagaland government.
As Nagaland was created politically as per terms and provisions of various agreements, including the Hydari Ali 9-Point and 16-Point Agreements, they insisted that settlement of boundary must be done outside the court.
“When there is no officially demarcated boundary, the question of legal arbitration does not arise. Hence, the Lotha Naga tribe demands setting up of a Boundary Commission for a fair solution to the Nagaland-Assam boundary imbroglio and not in the court,” a resolution in this regard specified.
The meeting also urged the State government to remove Assam Police outposts from Lotha Naga villages of Liphanyan, Chekayan, New Jandalashung, Soshanyan, Lishayan and Rani Pukhri immediately, besides establishing Nagaland Armed Police (NAP) outposts at sensitive areas along inter-State border in Wokha district.
It emphasised that Naga villagers in border areas needed NAP for security and building their own houses in their traditional lands, which Assam Police and even neutral force mark as “disputed”, adding that Nagas did not need building materials like CGI sheets to build houses, but police protection to safeguard ancestral Naga lands.
It also urged the State government to give priority to development works in border areas to support Naga people to physically settle and occupy their land.
The meeting also appealed to the State government to upgrade the post of border magistrate (BM) to additional deputy commissioner, besides making BM as an honourable posting, not as political punishment posting, as was seemingly being done at present. As the BM has to deal with counterparts of other States, the post required higher status, it pointed out.
Meanwhile, welcoming the constitution of a 10-member committee by Nagaland Legislative Assembly to examine the inter-State boundary issue, the meeting also agreed to the proposal for settlement of the issue amicably outside the court by involving local bodies of both sides.