Nagaland: ENPO calls for halting govt offices, vehicles

The ENPO on March 5 declared a public emergency across the six eastern districts of Nagaland and decided not to allow any political party to campaign for the coming Lok Sabha elections in its areas

Dismayed over the Union government’s delay in implementing its offer to create a Frontier Nagaland Territory, an autonomous council for six eastern districts of the state, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), which represents seven Naga tribes of the region, on Friday announced to intensify its ongoing “public emergency” and called for a shut-down of government offices and restriction of the movement of government vehicles in its area.

The ENOPO has been demanding a separate Frontier Nagaland state since 2010 over alleged issues of discrimination. (File)

The organisation on March 5 declared a “public emergency” across the six eastern districts and decided not to allow any political party to campaign for the coming Lok Sabha elections in its areas.

After holding a peaceful dawn-to-dusk bandh in the region on Friday, the ENPO announced its intention to closing down of all the government offices and restriction on movement of Government vehicles (both state and central) from Saturday onwards till the time the “public emergency” in eastern Nagaland region shall last. While stating that the restriction will not cover public movement, plying of private vehicles and business establishments till further notice, the ENPO warned that any private vehicles found plying on government duty other than transporting essential commodities shall be seized.

The ENPO’s actions come from the delay in creation of a territorial council, called Frontier Nagaland Territory (NFT), by the Centre that put forward the proposal in June last year.

The ENPO, which represents the Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Tikhir, and Yimkhiung communities, has been demanding a separate Frontier Nagaland state since 2010 over alleged issues of discrimination, particularly on development. Although the ENPO’s initial demand was for creation of a separate state “Frontier Nagaland” carved out from the present-day Nagaland state, the Centre initiated its negotiating team from the Union Home Ministry led by advisor (northeast) AK Mishra in 2022. The Centre’s team had then negotiated for an alternative arrangement- administrative, executive, legislative and financial autonomy for the region.