UKHRUL, July 18: With the United Naga Council (UNC) taking over the baton to spearhead the mass movement against militarisation in Ukhrul in the wake of the recent assassination of an Ukhrul ADC member, the Tangkhul Frontal Organizations (TFOs) are now on a standby mode while awaiting further directives from the apex Naga body.
Disclosing this to media persons at his office on Friday, Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) president Artax A Shimray stated that all the Tangkhul civil bodies are now more or less in a state of preparedness to respond to the call of the UNC which is currently charting out democratic means to restore normalcy in the district.
“All the constituent units of TNL and all locality -based bodies have also been informed of UNC’s forthcoming directives and accordingly alerted to every eventuality,” he further informed.
Significantly, this development came close on the heels of the consultative meeting of the Naga Hoho-led delegation of Naga team with Tangkhul bodies at TNL Hall on Thursday last, wherein the Naga bodies unanimously resolved to propel the mass movement with UNC as its spearhead to pressurise the government to fulfill their charter of demands.
The consultation had also condemned the State government’s use of military strength upon hapless civilians while terming the same as a covert operation to jeopardize the ongoing Indo-Naga peace dialogue.
Meanwhile, no response whatsoever is forthcoming till date from the State government’s side even as the 24-hour ultimatum served by the TFOs on July 15 last to revoke the prohibitory order along with withdrawal of the security forces and unconditional release of the eight arrested NSCN-IM men, had already expired since Thursday evening.
Consequently, Ukhrul township continues to reel under the prohibitory order Section 144 of CrPc though life here is apparently limping back to some semblance of normalcy.
Security forces including police commondo, IRB, MR and CRPF personnel are seen guarding at various corners and strategic points apart from moving on the main road of the district headquarters.
So far no cases of security forces high handedness or excesses on civilians have been reported but given the mood of the public, the apprehension over the presence of reinforced security forces still remains conspicuous.