The Nagaland Cabinet has sought the view of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on State Governor R.N. Ravi’s directive for providing security to some extremist leaders engaged in talks to settle the 23-year-old Naga peace process.
The Governor had in October instructed Nagaland’s Director-General of Police T.J. Longkumer to provide security to the leaders of the Naga National Political Groups’ (NNPGs) working committee. Security has also reportedly been sought for extremist leaders living outside designated camps.
The Governor is allegedly tilted toward the NNPGs, a conglomerate of seven extremist outfits opposed to the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, or NSCN (IM).
“We wrote a letter to the MHA on November 6 seeking suggestion on the Governor’s instruction. We are awaiting a response for necessary action,” a minister in the Neiphiu Rio government said on condition of anonymity.
The NSCN (IM) and the NNPGs have been separately pursuing peace talks with the Centre. While the former has stuck to demands such as a separate flag and constitution for the Naga-inhabited areas, the latter has reportedly ironed out all issues.
The NSCN (IM), which had declared truce in 1997, had signed a Framework Agreement in August 2015, while the NNPGs signed the Agreed Position in November 2017.
The issues of ‘Naga national flag’ and ‘Naga constitution’, on which the Centre is not keen on, have threatened to undermine the peace talks with the NSCN (IM).
