Zeliangrong bodies on Thursday announced the second phase of their agitation from August 19 in Peren district, protesting alleged government inaction for nearly five months over the alleged rape and murder of a woman in her mid-30s, whose body was found in a forest near Pimla village under Chümoukedima district on April 7, 2025.
Addressing a press conference, Zeliangrong Youth Organisation (ZYO) president R. John Zeliang said the organisation had met Commissioner Nagaland on April 29 and agreed to give the government one month to act. “We gave them one month and five days, but there was no response. It is now almost five months since the incident,” he said, alleging “stepmotherly treatment” towards the Zeliangrong community.
Zeliang said the agitation would be “aggressive” and include closure of all administrative and government offices, ban on government vehicular movement, and blocking of NH-29A to stop inter-state transport.
He claimed that the prime accused had admitted to the crime as per the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report. He, however, questioned the SIT’s handling of the probe- citing failure to preserve the crime scene, search the prime accused’s house, record his confession, or include it in the chargesheet.
Reiterating the April 12 public rally’s vow that “whoever bails out the accused should face the same punishment,” John said two individuals who had signed the bail bond had already withdrawn their signatures.
Declaring there would be no further meetings with the state government, he demanded justice on or before August 19 and held the state responsible for any untoward incidents during the protest.
Zeliangrong Students’ Union Nagaland (ZSUN) president Adaube Hiekha Hau demanded the re-arrest of the prime accused and delivery of the forensic report without delay, alleging the chargesheet lacked evidence and witnesses which led to the granting of bail. Zeliangrong Mipui Organisation (ZMO) president Apeuna Iheilung expressed frustration over the delay, questioning why forensic results were taking months when DNA results in other cases had been produced in days.
She urged the government to take the case seriously, pointing to contradictions between women empowerment programmes and continued victimisation of women.
Western Naga Youth Front (WNYF) interim president and convenor, Aga Rengma, criticised the “lackadaisical attitude” of the state government and linked it to the absence of an opposition in the assembly. He said his organisation supported the Zeliangrong bodies and suggested that public organisations were ready to fund forensic testing if lack of resources was the cause for the delay. “If it happens to your family, what answer will you give? There should be humanity in governance,” he added.