The three-member delegation would be led by AK Mishra (IPS) retired, advisor, North East, MHA, Mandeep Singh Tuli (IPS), joint director, Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Director, North East Division, MHA, AK Dhyani, as members. Meanwhile, ENPO-CEC meeting has been convened on December 19, at Chang Khulei Setshang (CKS) Hall, Tuensang.
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
After the recent visit of the 11-member Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) delegation to New Delhi on December 4, a three-member committee from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will visit Nagaland from December 16 to 18 to study the ENPO’s statehood demand issue. This follows an assurance by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 6 to constitute a committee from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to look into the ENPO’s demand.
The three-member delegation would be led by AK Mishra (IPS) retired, advisor, North East, MHA, Dr Mandeep Singh Tuli (IPS), joint director, Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Director, North East Division, MHA, AK Dhyani, as members. Confirming that the 3 committee members is scheduled to visit the Eastern Nagaland from December 16 to 18 with regard to its statehood demand, the ENPO through a circular has also informed that it was also required to hold CEC meeting at Tuensang urgently and as such itineraries for the visiting MHA
committee, and emergency ENPO-CEC meeting has been fixed.
The three committee members would arrive Assam Rifles Helipad, Tuensang, on December 16, 1 pm, to be received by ENPO officials, after which a meeting has been convened with the ENPO and Talk Team and the Memorandum signatories between 3 to 5 pm, the following day (December 17), between 9.30 am to 12.30 pm, a meeting has been convened the seven tribal bodies of the ENPO, 12.30 – 1.30 pm with ENWO and ENSF, 3 pm to 4 pm has been set aside for a joint meet with Gaon Buras (GB), Dobashi, and senior citizens, while between 4 to 5 pm, the 3 committee members would have a meeting with DC/SP, and other state governmental officials.
On December 18 before their departure for Kohima, the committee members would visit ITC, DAN Pangsha, at 10 am, and though there wouldn’t be any civic or public reception, however, the KTC leaders may make necessary arrangement to receive and meet the visiting committee members preferably in small groups.
It was also informed that on December 19, ENPO-CEC meeting has been convened on December 19, starting 10 am at Chang Khulei Setshang (CKS) Hall, Tuensang.
It may mentioned that the 11 member-delegations to New Delhi recently was led by ENPO president R Tsapikiu Sangtam which also included former Lok Sabha member W Wangyuh Konyak, and two times MP from Nagaland K Asungba Sangtam. Nagaland deputy chief minister Y Patton who was already in Delhi had met the visiting ENPO leaders.
Meanwhile, Neiphiu Rio on November 26 had met the representatives of the seven tribal apex bodies of ENPO at a consultative meeting held at Rhododendron Hall, Police Complex, Chumoukedima. The meeting discussed issues related to the stands of the ENPO. The ENPO had asked all the 20 MLAs from their respective constituencies in Eastern Nagaland to resign from their seats.
In another meeting held on November 28 at the venue of the Hornbill Festival, Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, Kohima, the Nagaland chief minister made an appeal to the ENPO and the other tribes under its jurisdiction to let them participate in the Hornbill Festival by allowing their cultural troupes to join the celebration.
It was also known that in the state cabinet meet, the various grievances raised by the ENPO and tribal hohos of the respective tribes with regard to the cultural troupes at the Hornbill Festival 2022 have been addressed by the Nagaland state government by providing necessary additional facilities. Though the Nagaland government had on November 26 tried its best to convince the tribes of the seven districts of the Eastern Nagaland to revoke their decision to “boycott” the Hornbill Festival, it was stated that the “closed-door” meet could not yield any positive outcome.
The Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio had earlier relayed to the ENPO that granting statehood lies with the government of India and not with the Nagaland government or with the citizens of Nagaland. The chief minister had said that Nagaland government has already submitted its recommendation on granting “Autonomous Region” status to the ENPO area to the government of India. Had made it clear that anything “beyond” this is outside the domain of the Nagaland government. Rio has made known that the Nagaland government had never objected to the demand of a “separate state” of the ENPO people and added that his party, the NDPP stands in support of the demand.