WNYF condemns assault, extortion bid by NSCN (Khango)

The Western Naga Youth Front (WNYF) has expressed solidarity with the innocent couple and their younger siblings who were recently subjected to intimidation, physical assault, and extortion by operatives of the NSCN (Khango).
The front in a press release stated that the couple, a union of Chang and Sangtam communities, and bona fide members of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Union Dimapur (ENPUD), were manhandled, threatened, and coerced into signing a bond under duress, agreeing to an arbitrary fine of Rs 3 lakh.
Noting that they were also robbed of their hard-earned savings at their residence, the WNYF maintained that such lawless acts carried out without due process or justification amounted to nothing short of criminal extortion and human rights violation.
Claiming that the woman was a legitimate customer care executive for eBay, a detail verified by the police post-incident, the front said she was wrongfully targeted under unfounded suspicions.
Pointing out that in today’s digital era, especially in the aftermath of COVID-19, many youth had embraced online jobs and work-from-home roles to build an honest livelihood, the youth body lamented that instead of being supportive or encouraging, the young woman was harassed and robbed, “a disgraceful reflection of how far we have strayed from the values we claim to uphold.”
Strongly condemning the act of violence and psychological terror, the youth body said the actions not only breached the principles of justice and dignity but also went against the very spirit of Naga struggle which was founded on truth, self-respect, and unity.
The WNYF appealed all right-thinking Naga citizens, civil society, and human rights bodies to denounce such behaviour that exploited own people under the guise of authority. It called upon the Ceasefire Monitoring Group and law enforcement agencies to take immediate cognizance of the incident and ensure the safety, justice, and dignity of the victims.
The front stressed that the time had come to speak not just against illegal taxation but also against the misuse of power by any group that claimed to represent the Naga cause but yet acted in ways that divided, intimidated, and oppressed. It declared that it stood in strong solidarity with Chang Union Dimapur and ENPUD in the pursuance of justice.