To protest the imposition of the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has asked Naga youth and student community to refrain from taking part in the upcoming Republic Day celebrations.
Federation’s president Kegwayhun Tep and general secretary Siipuni Ng Philo in a press communiqué reiterated that Naga people should disassociate themselves from such celebrations as long as the Central government continued its policy of “militarising our Naga homeland”.
They explained that this was not in defiance of any forces on earth, but the assertion that the voice of Naga people cannot be muted despite continued subjugation by forces reeking of colonial ideologies and practices.
They further reminded federating units and sub-ordinate bodies of NSF to comply with the earlier directive to restrict their members from associating with Indian armed and paramilitary forces and also from accepting any form of humanitarian aid from them, adding that such efforts would not be able to purchase the rights of Naga people nor mitigate the effects of the evil perpetrated upon them by the forces.
The duo also appealed to the State government to ensure that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report pertaining to the Oting massacre was made public and the culprits awarded befitting punishments at the earliest.
They asserted that NSF stood with the family members of the Oting massacre and all other victims of army excesses in Naga homeland and would continue to strive with them until justice was delivered.
Wednesday, September 17, 2025