Nagaland’s people deserve neither AFSPA nor gun culture

News: The death of innocent civilians by security officers in Nagaland caused outrage of repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

What is AFSPA? What are the challenges associated with it?

Regional Disparity of AFSPA: There is also a question that why AFSPA is only applicable to North-East states and J&K alone when other Indian states also face instances of internal rebellion like left-wing extremism. The reason behind this is NE and J&K is still considered “alien” to the nation because of racial and cultural dissimilarities.

What are the various groups in Nagaland, and how do they proceed?

Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs): They are Nagaland-based groups and speak exclusively for Nagaland.

NSCN (IM): The majority of their cadres belong to Nagas from Manipur. In the past, they mercilessly gunned down rival factions.

Nagaland Gaon Bura Association: It is the apex body of Nagas, which includes all the 16 recognized tribes and the NNPGs. It barred the NSCN (IM) from its group.

The NNPGs and the Gaon Bura Association of Nagaland doubt NSCN(IM)’s ability to bring lasting peace in Nagaland.

Further, their representatives do not demand a separate flag or constitution or sovereignty. They also understand that Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will not be reorganized. So, the group petitioned several requests to PM and Home Minister to solve the issues through peaceful means.

What is the present situation?

The Free movement regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar across the 1,643 km border allows movement up to 16 KM inside each other’s territory for trade and commerce. This is misused by militants to smuggle drugs and arms.

Also, the People of Nagaland feel being held hostage by the Center and NSCN(IM). The incidents of misuse of AFSPA alienate people from the center.

What should the government do?

To bring stability in Nagaland, the government should work on these issues.

Further, To strengthen the nation-building process, the government should think of repealing the AFSPA to bring stability to the J&K and NE region.

Source: This post is based on the article “Nagaland’s people deserve neither AFSPA nor gun culture” published in the Indian Express on 10th December 2021.