As Nagaland mourns Mon killings, aspiration for normalcy stays a distant dream

The killing of 14 civilians by security forces in Mon district brought a disconsolate 2021 to a close for Nagaland with the shared aspiration of its people for an early solution to the decadesold political issue remaining a distant dreamFourteen civilians including six daily wagers working at a coal mine were shot dead in a series of firings by security forces in Mon district over December 45 in a botched antimilitancy operation triggering a nationwide outrage and reigniting the demand for withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act AFSPA 1958 from the Northeastern stateEven as political leaders of the region including Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio pushed for repeal of the controversial law the Centre declared the entire state of Nagaland a disturbed area for six more months with effect from December 30 under the AFSPA while terming the states condition dangerousThe state assembly also held a special session on December 21 when it passed a resolution demanding withdrawal of AFSPA from the state and the Northeast besides an apology for the killings in Oting village in MonThe move drew flak from the Congress and the newlyformed Rising Peoples Party as they demanded justice and not mere apologyIn solidarity with Konyak Nagas the tribe to which the victims belonged the state government called off the signature Hornbill Festival which was being held after two years due to the pandemic Diplomats from a number of countries were attending the festival when it was called off amid rising tensionThe issue of resolution of the Naga political issue hit a bump during the year with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland IsakMuivah NSCNIM refusing to hold talks with the then Centreappointed interlocutor and state governor R N Ravi claiming it did not trust him Ravi was shifted to Tamil Nadu as governor on September 9The talks resumed on September 20 in Dimapur with the appointment of former Intelligence Bureau special director AK Mishra as the new interlocutorThe dialogue subsequently moved to New Delhi but the insistence of the NSCNIM which had signed the Framework Agreement in August 2015 on a separate flag and constitution blocked a final solution as the Centre held on to its position of not conceding those demandsOn the other hand the parallel talks with the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups NPPGs which is willing to go ahead and reach a final agreement could also not make much headwayTo facilitate resolution of the Naga issue and put forth a united voice before the Centre principal opposition Naga Peoples Front NPF having 25 MLAs proposed joining the government which was accepted by the ruling Peoples Democratic Alliance PDAThis led to the formation of the United Democratic Alliance UDA government leaving no significant opposition in the stateAsserting that resolving the Naga political issue tops its agenda the state government inJune constituted a committee of 60 legislators and two MPs to iron out the differences between the negotiating partiesThe assembly also adopted a fourpoint resolution on the vexed political question in February with the 60member House resolving to work unitedly to facilitate meaningful negotiationsHowever unanimity proved elusive as the Congress urged all the 60 MLAs to resign to demonstrate their sincerity and pressure the Centre for a solution to the decadesold problemThe year also witnessed a split in the NSCN Reformation with Akato Chophy becoming its new president At present there are at least 13 Naga underground groups in the stateFactional tussle within the state BJP continued for the second year with presidents of six district units demanding the removal of the partys Nagaland president Temjen Imna Along but that did not find favour with the central leadershipThe Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party NDPP a major constituent of the ruling coalition won the bypolls to Noksen and ShamatorChessore uncontested raising its tally in the state assembly to 21In March interdistrict dispute between Peren and Dimapur districts turned violent claiming the lives of three peopleTensions also prevailed along the interstate boundary with Assam However defusing the situation Assam and Nagaland signed an agreement on July 31 to maintain peace in areas around Ao Senden and Vikuto villagesThe second wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit the state in AprilMay forcing the government to impose strict restrictionsThe state has reported 32188 Covid cases Of the total 702 deaths so far 623 happened in 2021 The state has till date administered 1333991 doses of vaccineNagaland witnessed a droughtlike situation this year with the delay in the arrival of monsoon and erratic rainfallAccording to Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority NSDMA data the districts recorded rainfall deficiency of 2059 per cent except for Mon which received 40 per cent excess rainfallThe Nagaland government launched the Vision 2030 document in August along with the District Sustainable Development Goals SDG Localisation and Integration Manual aiming for a wellgoverned peaceful inclusive and prosperous state with a sustainable and diverse economy a skilled and healthy population providing equitable opportunities for all citizensThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever