Nagaland: NSF holds ‘North-EastBlack Day’ stir against CAA

Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) under the aegis of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) organised the “North-East Black Day” protest against the imposition of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Naga Solidarity Park, here Thursday.
Speaking at the protest site, NESO secretary general Mutsikhoyo Yhobu recalled that Northeast student bodies voiced their strong opposition to imposition of the Act on the region since its inception.
Yhobu, however, said that despite repeated appeals from students and the wider Northeast community, the Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act on December 11, 2019. For this reason, he said NESO declared December 11 as Black Day across the Northeast.
NESO leader said that the issue had been discussed in every northeast student organisation executive council meeting. He reminded that the states, which were covered under ILP were exempted.
He said they demanded the Centre that CAA should not be implemented in the northeast regions in order to protect indigenous people. “However, our voice was not heard,” Yhobu said.
In a brief speech, NSF president Mteisuding stated that the protest was for protecting the rights of indigenous people.
He said a black flag was hoisted in the morning to express resentment towards the Centre and to signal that the people of northeast would not accept the CAA.
He asserted that NSF would continue its fight until the Act was scrapped. Mteisuding said that CAA was not merely a policy but a decisive law that threatened the rights and identity of the people.
All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) vice president (protocol) Nabam Gandhi also highlighted concerns regarding the CAA. He said that the Act adversely affected the Northeast socially and economically.
He said the Act was a “free pass to unknown strangers” and argued that it compromised the safety of the people.
Former president of NSF and former NESO secretary general Senchumo NSN Lotha delivered the concluding remarks. The programme ended with the symbolic burning of the CAA documents.