Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, MAY 11 (NPN): Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) on Monday strongly condemned the alleged “forceful” closure of a business establishment at Churches Colony by Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU), asserting that such actions undermined lawful authority and fell outside the jurisdiction of student bodies.
Backing the stand taken by the Joint Council Forum comprising NST Colony, Churches Colony and Middle Point, as well as the Churches Colony Council, DCCI maintained that grievances relating to business practices should be addressed only through competent authorities and legal procedures.
Addressing media persons after an hour-long meeting with Naga Council Dimapur (NCD), DCCI grievance cell convener Kevin Yepthomi said the issue began last week when DNSU members allegedly sought GST bills and related documents from shopkeepers.
According to Yepthomi, as the shopkeepers were unable to immediately produce the documents, members of the student body reportedly visited the shop, inspected records, questioned pricing and eventually locked the establishment and took away its keys.
He pointed out that many hardware items did not carry printed Maximum Retail Price (MRP), and while citizens have the right to remain vigilant, they must function within defined legal limits.
“It is not the duty of a student body to lock down a business. If there are concerns, the matter should have been reported to the appropriate authorities such as the deputy commissioner or commissioner of police,” he said, adding that such unilateral action amounted to overstepping boundaries and indirectly disrespecting the district administration.
Yepthomi also questioned the inaction of authorities despite reports of the incident appearing in the media.
Responding to queries on why DCCI had not filed an FIR, Yepthomi clarified that the affected business owners had not directly approached the chamber. He said DCCI learned about the matter through media reports and subsequently discussed it with its parent bodies, including the NCD, the Dimapur Urban Council Chairmen Federation (DUCCF), and GBs to deliberate on the issue.
“Ultimately, the students are also our children. So we chose to address the issue through dialogue with the apex bodies,” he said.
Yepthomi informed that DCCI had requested the NCD to intervene, retrieve the keys and return them to the owner of the establishment.
On possible action if allegations of MRP tampering raised by DNSU were found to be true, he reiterated that DCCI did not support illegal activities and would report any such findings to the appropriate authorities for necessary action.
He also clarified that DCCI did not have the authority to directly deal with GST-related issues, adding that such matters would have to be handled by the responsible government departments.
Yepthomi cautioned against increasing instances of alleged harassment of business owners in matters relating to Inner Line Permit (ILP) checks and indigenous certificates, stressing that such issues must be dealt with strictly within the framework of law.
“Students have their own responsibilities. They should focus on their domain and allow the authorities to perform their duties,” he added.