March against AFSPA in Nagaland on Jan 10
Covering a distance of more than 70 km on foot in two days, the ‘March against AFSPA: Walk from Dimapur to Kohima’ will begin at Supermarket in Dimapur at 6 am on March 10 and culminate at Raj Bhavan in Kohima.
DIMAPUR:
In the backdrop of the Oting incident of December 4, 2021, like-minded citizens of Nagaland will organise a march from Dimapur to Raj Bhavan in Kohima on January 10 to demand complete repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act 1958 in the state.
Covering a distance of more than 70 km on foot in two days, the ‘March against AFSPA: Walk from Dimapur to Kohima’ will begin at Supermarket in Dimapur at 6 am on March 10 and culminate at Raj Bhavan in Kohima.
The protesters will also submit a memorandum to the Government of India through Nagaland Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi for immediate repeal of AFSPA.
Speaking to The Northeast Today (TNT), Kevitho Kera, one of the organisers of the march said, “We want to convey that the Nagas believe in non-violence and are for resolving things peacefully while demanding removal of AFSPA from Nagaland.”
The march will be a public-initiated march and not led by any civil society organisations or political parties, he informed
Kera said the march is the public’s response against the AFSPA. “The people’s response towards the march has been very encouraging. We expect many people to join it in different locations on the way from Dimapur to Kohima,” he added.
On the memorandum to be submitted, he said they are readying its final draft. “The basic point is we will be requesting for immediate repeal of AFSPA,” he said.
Even as the cry for repeal of the AFSPA grew louder after the Oting massacre in which 13 civilians were killed by the security forces, the extension of AFSPA by the Government of India on December 30, 2021, in Nagaland for another six months came as a rude shock to the people of the state. Various sections of the society, including the political parties, from the state denounced the extension of the Act.
According to reports in the local media, the protest march is being planned by channeling support through various social media platforms aftermath the extension.
He said during the march, the protesters will also remember victims of ‘Operation Bluebird,’ ‘Wuzu shooting’, ‘Matikhrü massacre,’ ‘Mokokchung killings, rape and arson’, ‘Akuluto Killings’, ‘Kohima tyre burst killings,’ ‘Pangsha border massacre’ and the recent ‘Oting massacre’ by the security forces among many others.
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