The NSCN (I-M) and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) have condemned the travel restrictions imposed on Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) secretary general Neingulo Krome by the central government.
NSCN (I-M) in a statement said the travel restrictions imposed on Krome by the immigration authorities had once again exposed India’s alleged suppressive and oppressive nature targeting the Naga indigenous people from going outside the country to interact with other indigenous people of Asia.
Pointing out that this was the harsh reality the Nagas were made to go through time and again as the government continued violating their human rights, the group accused the centre of desperately trying to drive the Nagas to the point of stopping them from rightfully propagating themselves as a distinct people with their own historical and political identity.
According to the group, the irony was India had been caught standing on the wrong side of democracy where its claims as the largest democracy were falling apart when measured by the democratic principles to give equal treatment to the citizens, including the indigenous peoples.
It claimed that India today was no longer the world’s largest democracy. NSCN (I-M) said the question that had hit the political consciousness of the Nagas was why India was so panicked in letting the world know about the historic Framework Agreement signed on August 3, 2015.
The group pointed out that the agreement had been uploaded in social media platforms as desired by government, after giving the agreement a high political profile that the world should know from correct perspective.
NSCN (I-M) insisted that the central government must stop focusing too much on finding faults with the political issue of the Naga indigenous people, and not stand as a roadblock to the Nagas’ right to self-determination, dignity and cultural identity that broadly defined their historical and political rights.
For all purpose of establishing meaningful socio-political peace, not only for the Nagas, but for the entire northeast, the group demanded that the central government should stop the wildest dream of turning the clock back on Framework Agreement.
Declaring that it stood in solidarity with Krome, the NSCN (I-M) expressed indignation at the government for targeting someone whose name was synonymous with the voice of Naga people’s fight for human rights.
AIPP: In a separate statement, the AIPP too strongly condemned the repeated and unjustified travel restrictions imposed on Krome by immigration authorities without any valid explanation or legal justification.
The rights group claimed that most recently Krome was denied the right to travel abroad on April 7 en route to Kathmandu, for which no explanation was provided. It said the incident mirrored a similar occurrence in Kolkata in 2020 when he was bluntly told that he could not travel.
In both cases, no official directive was presented, while on the latest occasion the authorities even refused to unload his checked-in luggage.
The group asserted that in a democratic country like India no fundamental right — including the right to travel abroad — could be curtailed by the state without due process of law. It maintained that the right to travel abroad was a fundamental facet of personal liberty that was protected under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
Viewing these actions as arbitrary, unjust, and deeply troubling, the AIPP stated that preventing individuals from travelling without legal due process was not only a violation of fundamental human rights but reflected the arbitrary exercise of power by the authorities.
While not wishing to speculate on the motives behind these repeated incidents, the group said it could not ignore their broader implications — on civil society, on the fundamental freedoms of individuals, and on the very fabric of Indian democracy.
Declaring that it stood in solidarity with Krome and all individuals who were unjustly denied their fundamental rights and freedoms, the AIPP called upon the authorities concerned to immediately clarify the legal grounds for the travel restrictions imposed on Krome, cease harassment of Indigenous human rights defenders without valid reasons and due process of law, and ensure accountability for officials responsible for unlawfully preventing Krome from travelling abroad.
Reiterating of firmly standing in solidarity with Krome and all indigenous people facing undue harassment, the group urged the central government India to uphold its domestic laws and international human rights obligations.