The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has expressed deep anguish at the cold-blooded murder of Eli M Lucy Marem (57), a Maring Naga lady of Beaularham village, Chandel district in Manipur by the Arambai Tenggol group in collusion with local Maira Paibis in Imphal on July 15.
In a statement, federation’s president Kegwayhun Tep and general secretary Siipuni Ng Philo declared that the cowardly act perpetrated upon the harmless mother, despite having identified herself as a Maring Naga, was a direct challenge to the Maring Nagas in particular and the Naga people as a whole. They questioned the intention of the Arambai Tenggol and the Maira Paibis who allegedly colluded with the perpetrators of the dastardly act, adding that the very act of bludgeoning to death an innocent lady showed how the perpetrators had systematically planned the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur.
Condemning the targeted hate crime in no uncertain terms, they said they were convinced that the prevailing lawlessness in Manipur was a creation of the present dispensation, demanding that the individuals at the helm of affairs should be held accountable.
“Everyone should be reminded that Nagas, wherever they are placed, are peace-loving people. However, our warrior blood will not rest if our very existence is threatened by forces that are inimical to our peaceful attitude and approach. We will not tread lightly even if a strand of our hair is touched with ill intention,” the statement asserted.
The NSF leaders demanded befitting action against the perpetrators of the dastardly act from the authorities concerned, as demanded by the United Naga Council and other Naga organisations.