Ahead of Independence Day, the Nagaland government has pulled up the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) on hoisting the ‘Naga national flag’ on August 14.
According to Eastermirrornagaland.com, the state’s Home department has issued an order to all the deputy commissioners in Nagaland on Tuesday. The Commissioner of Nagaland, M Patton stated that the government of Nagaland has taken notice of a statement from the NSF directing its federating units to hoist the ‘Naga flag’ on the occasion on ‘Naga Independence Day’ on August 14. According to the order, this directive from the NSF is bound to create unwanted situation “and may lead to grievous law and order problem.”
The commissioner directed all the DCs to convene a meeting with the student body units in their respective jurisdiction “and make them aware about the legality of their action and maintain constant communication so that the laid down norms are not violated in any manner.”
Earlier, the NSF, which is the apex students’ body of the state, said the flag would be hoisted to commemorate “Naga identity”. Usually, the state’s myriad insurgent groups hoist the flag at their camps on August 14 to celebrate Naga independence.
“The flag will be hoisted in all Naga-inhabited areas of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar. This will be in commemoration of our identity, history etc. This is the celebration of our identity. The celebration, however, does not mean we are against India,” NSF president Ninoto Awomi told the New Indian Express.
The Naga National Council (NNC), the first rebel group of the state to have waged an armed struggle against Government of India to secure Naga sovereignty, has come out in support of the NSF.
Describing the move as a “just and wise decision”, the NNC suggested the NSF to hoist the original Naga national flag. It was hoisted for the first time on March 22, 1956. The rebel groups in the state say the Nagas had asserted their inherent right of independence on August, 14, 1947.
