Saturday, April 26, 2025

Naga extortion

Date:

Share post:

The Naga crisis simmers despite the ceasefire with the Centre and peace talks since July 1997. The NSCN (IM) has asserted that it is a de facto government and has the legitimate right to levy tax on people within the Nagalim. The newly appointed chairman of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group, Lt. General (Retd)S.K.Singh has asked the outfit to stop extortions and so called taxes. But the Secretary of the Group, Imcha Longkumar has clearly asserted that the ground rules of the Ceasefire agreement nowhere state that the NSCN (IM) has no right to levy taxes. This is in reply to Singh’s statement that the spirit of the ground rules meant it had no such rights. Undesirable atrocities are being committed on the activities of the group and other factions as a result of which Nagas have suffered enough. He also asked the NSCN (IM) cadre to stay within their camps and not violate the rules of official governance. Naga student bodies and Civic society had been protesting these illegal levies.

A newly formed body called the Action Committee Against Unabated Taxation has asked people to stop paying such NSCN(IM) levies. The Centre had last month asked the rebels to desist from levying taxes. The Union Home Ministry has described the situation as serious. It is obvious that the Naga peace talks have cut no ice. The levying of taxes is tantamount to demanding sovereignty in a limited way. The previous declaration of the NSCN (IM) that it did not demand a separate constitution and was willing to relent on the Greater Nagalim demand appears mere eyewash.

Related articles

SRH all but end CSK’s chances

Chennai, April 25: Pacer Harshal Patel made the best use of a sluggish Chepauk surface as Sunrisers Hyderabad...

Railway infra, Kashmiri Pandits on terror target; security forces on alert

Srinagar, April 24: Security forces are on high alert after inputs suggested that terrorists are “actively planning” an...

Houses of 2 LeT terrorists bombed

Srinagar, April 25: The house of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) terrorists, including the prime suspect of the Pahalgam terror...

Abhinav claims hat-trick as Meghalaya beat Arunachal

1st Little Masters Trophy Shillong, April 25: Abhinav Khanal took a hat-trick to set up a comprehensive seven-wicket victory...