NSF to hold series of agitation for total withdrawal of AFSPA

Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has resolved to ensure that the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is “repealed by the Government of India or completely lifted from the entire Naga homeland.”
Towards achieving this end, NSF president Kegwayhun Tep and general secretary Siipuni Ng Philo, in a press note, said that the federation would be taking up a series of democratic agitation(s) in consonance with the collective aspiration of the Naga people.
NSF said it outrightly rejected the “ploy of the Government of India” to please some few sections of the North Eastern people by lifting the draconian AFSPA 1958 from some certain pockets of the region while still allowing the inhumane Act to be in operation in almost all parts of the Naga homeland. While not denying that the areas falling under 15 police stations in Nagaland was set to benefit from “policy of the government of India”, NSF said it was appalled that “a major chunk of the Naga homeland spread across the four Indian States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland are yet again classified as ‘Disturbed Areas’.”
NSF said it wondered as to what yardsticks were used to lift the Act from certain areas of the NE region as police stations within Naga homeland, which have almost perfect law and order record(s), projecting a relatively peaceful and tranquil environment were completely left out.
NSF said such step of the Centre was rubbing more salt into the wounds of the Nagas who were still reeling under the shock of the Oting incidents wherein 14 innocent Naga souls were mercilessly massacred by the Indian armed forces in a botched military operation.
The federation wondered as to whether Centre had any regard or respect for the lives, emotions and sentiments of the Naga people.
NSF also reiterated its earlier stand that the Nagas do not merit the Act which has empowered the Indian military and para military war machines “with unlimited powers to extend their evil claws and judicial impunity to arrest, torture, kill and to commit everything inhuman.” It also vehemently denounced the oppressive, repressive and inhuman instrument allegedly being used by Government of India to further their colonial mindset of subjugating and dividing the Nagas.
Condemns Chasa incident: Meanwhile, NSF has condemned the high handedness of the armed forces at Chasa village of Tirap district, Arunachal Pradesh wherein two Naga youths– Nokphua Wangpan and Ramwang Wangsu, who were returning from a river after fishing, were critically injured after they were fired upon by 12 Para Special forces without any warning whatsoever.
NSF said that such acts of the Indian Armed forces, trampling upon the dignity, existence, freedom and happiness of the Nagas without any remorse under the protection of AFSPA cannot be accepted by the federation in particular and the Nagas in general.
NSF further demanded justice for the innocent victims by awarding befitting punishments to the “trigger-happy Armed forces personnel”.
The federation also reminded Nagas to refrain from extending any sort of co-operation towards the Indian Armed Forces or para-military forces until AFSPA was repealed or completely lifted from the Naga homeland.