Naga body issues 15-day ultimatum to redress ‘arbitrary creation’ of 7 new Manipur districts

Imphal: Manipur-based United Naga Council (UNC) issued an ultimatum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for redressal of the pending issues of “arbitrary creation” of seven new districts in Manipur in 2016 and warned of intense agitation if not resolved the issue within 15 days time.

The UNC demanded the rollback of the “arbitrary creation” of seven new districts and reinstated the status quo. The UNC in a letter to the Home Minister said that there had been social unrest in the state of Manipur in the backdrop of the arbitrary creation of seven new districts by bifurcating parent districts on December 8, 2016, during the Congress regime without the informed consent and knowledge of the stakeholders.

“Dishonouring the four memoranda between the government of Manipur and the Naga people and the assurance from the Union government in 2011, that no decision would be taken without consulting all sections of the people and all stakeholders, including Naga bodies representing the Nagas, the issue remained unresolved,” said the letter, sent through the Deputy Commissioner of Senapati district.

The letter, signed by UNC President N.G. Lorho and General Secretary Vareiyo Shatsang said that massive protests in the form of hartals and an economic blockade were launched in all the national highways for 139 days in the state and as many as 10 rounds of tripartite talks held amongst the government of Manipur, UNC and the government of India to redress the issue.

“We believe in dialogue and have therefore tacitly appealed to redress our grievances through petitions but having turned a deaf ear to our plea, the Nagas have resolutely taken a decision to set a stipulated period of fifteen days to address the issues. On the expiry of the stipulated period of time, the Naga people will take up an intense form of agitation until the demands are met,” the UNC letter stated.

Naga people mostly inhabited six Manipur districts -- Tamenglong, Chandel, Ukhrul, Kamjong Noney and Senapati, which are along the Nagaland and Myanmar borders.

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