DIMAPUR, Jan 5 � Various Naga civil society organisations, including the Naga Students Federation, Naga Hoho, Angami Students Union, Lotha Hoho Dimapur and Tenyimi Union, Dimapur, have vehemently condemned the mass massacre of nine persons whose bodies were recovered by Dimapur police at Chumukedima near here on Friday night.
While strongly condemning the barbaric act of killing and dumping of the bodies, the Naga Students� Federation (NSF) urged the High Power Enquiry Committee (HPEC) set up by the Nagaland Government to leave no stone unturned to trace the perpetrator(s) and award capital punishment to those involved in the monstrous act.
�At this juncture, right thinking citizens of both Assam and Nagaland should join hands together and try to find out the �modus operandi� and identify the persons or organisations behind the entire episode of creating such unnecessary situation and disturbing the age-old cordial relationship and peaceful co-existence of the entire populace and communities in Karbi Anglong district,� the NSF in a release today said.
It also cautioned the general public not to create any sort of unwanted situation that will give more room to the possible third front conspirators to take undue advantage of the situation to further incite communal hatred and clashes amongst the communities living in Karbi Anglong.
The Federation also urged the governments of both Assam and Nagaland to provide enough security to the travelers to avoid any untoward incident and to show more commitment and seriousness in solving the present imbroglio in the interest of both the States.
The Naga Hoho has vehemently condemned the brutal and barbaric killing of the nine people and appealed to the State Government to immediately apprehend the culprits. It also urged all sections of the society to shun violence and maintain peaceful coexistence.
The Angami Students� Union (ASU) while condemning the brutal act perpetrated on the innocent nine people has assured safety of the Karbi people. ASU president Zhake Khate said, �If at all the killings of the nine persons in Dimapur are related to the recent violence between the Karbi and Naga people in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, the ASU assures of full protection and security to the Karbi people in Kohima and that there is no reason for the Karbis in Kohima to panic.�
He also asserted that if at all anyone touches them, ASU will be the first to go against those anti-social elements. The act perpetrated on the innocent people itself is anti-Naga, he said adding that as per Naga custom there is nothing that allows even an enemy to be shot by tying their hands.
�We highly condemn the action of those perpetrators who committed such a heinous crime,� he said.
�The Karbi and Nagas will continue to exist as neighbours for all times to come and it is only us to maintain the good relationship or destroy it,� he said and with humility appealed to both the Nagas and Karbis to restrain themselves from creating such unwanted situation.
The Tenyimi Union, Dimapur said the killing of innocent lives cannot be justified for any cause and such approach is never going to solve any issue. It fervently appealed to all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and stop the vicious circle of crimes.
The Lotha Hoho Dimapur said no degree of blind enmity, mindless threats, killing and counter killings can solve the ongoing murky imbroglio between the two ethnic entities and added that under the circumstances, the volatile situation needs to be handled with utmost care and urgency and resolved at an appropriate platform without further waste of time.
Condemning in strongest term the killing of the nine people, the Hoho expressed its deepest anguish and reiterated its commitment to stand and assist through all possible and peaceful means to help usher in a peaceful atmosphere, conducive for the secure and peaceful coexistence of the Rengma Nagas and Karbis in particular and the denizens of Karbi Anglong in general.
Rengma outfit denies hand in killings: The Naga Rengma Hills Protection Force (NRHPF) has said it had no hand in the killing of nine persons whose bodies were recovered at Chumukedima near here on Friday night.
Strongly condemning the killings, the chairman of the NRHPF Keyhang Rengma stated that they received news of the incident late and reiterated that �Our main goal is not to hit innocent victims or even security forces but just to protect ourselves.�
When the outfit is struggling to protect themselves in Karbi Anglong, why would it carry out such acts elsewhere and that too in Nagaland, the chairman asked.
