Notorious Disturbed Area Act

 NAGALIM VOICE JULY 2021

EDITORIAL

NOTORIOUS DISTURBED AREA ACT

 THE most contemptuous act, “Disturbed Area Act” (DAA) under the ‘Armed Forces Special Powers  Act’ (AFSPA) has become the belligerent policy of the Government of India (GoI) to settle score with the Nagas using the barbarous culture of the Indian Armed Forces. Certainly, the situation does not warrant imposition of such obnoxious act, but the Government of India (GoI) do not care a hoot about Nagaland except to talk through the barrel of guns. Even the ongoing 1997 Indo-Naga ceasefire which the GoI coaxed NSCN to sign after acknowledging the Naga issue as ‘political issue’ and not ‘India’s internal law and order issue’ have had no bearing on the approach of the GoI to change its stand on the application of AFSPA against the Nagas. This is the perverse irony of India always dwelling in the past and not giving a damn even after the peace process has made substantial progress.

Even before Nagaland state was created in 1963, Nagaland was already targeted under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), given the fact that Nagaland was under India’s illegal occupation.

It may be mentioned that the Disturbed Area Act (DAA)/AFSPA has lost its legal battle in the highest court of justice, the Supreme Court of India. But the GoI’s Defence Ministry simply refused to honour the verdict. More than that, even the official recommendation for repeal of AFSPA initiated by the earlier non-RSS/BJP government has had no effect under this present BJP/RSS dispensation. However, the repeated imposition of DAA despite the peaceful environment is provoking the good thinking of the Naga people. It is no less important to say that anything counter-productive should have been dispensed with in order to re-establish the broken faith of the Naga people against the Government of India who keeps messing up the Naga political issue under one pretext or the other.

Notorious for over indulgence in divisive politics, the GoI is playing with the sentiment of the Naga people by repeatedly imposing DAA against the wishes of the people in Nagaland. Too much of anything like DAA will contribute nothing good other than help create unhealthy claustrophobic atmosphere.

It is exasperating to even think that in a modern civilized democratic society where peace talks is underway under the 1997 ceasefire, such draconian laws should be imposed while the Indo-Naga peace talks is going on. This is the tragic irony of the GoI in dealing with the Indo-Naga political issue.

Significantly, India has acquired a certain notoriety for showing scant respect for United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights that all are equal before the law, and is entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. If DAA is so important for India, why it is not imposed in other parts of the country like UP where law and order issue is more disturbing and dangerous than Nagaland. It may seem paradoxical, but it would not be too farfetched to say that the Government of India is characteristically abusive towards the Nagas.

Kuknalim!