NSCN Slams Assam Govt Over Encroachment in 'Ancestral Naga Lands'

In a strong statement, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) has accused the Assam government of executing a “well-planned and precisely executed” strategy to encroach upon ancestral Naga territories under the guise of eviction drives targeting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

The NSCN dismissed the eviction drives along the Nagaland-Assam border as a cover for a larger agenda, alleging that the Assam government is using colonial-era demarcations to justify its actions. “It is not a surprise or something that has unexpectedly come out of the blue… but a well planned and precisely executed plan to occupy Naga ancestral areas,” the statement read.

The group claims that the disputed areas, currently referred to as the "Disturb Area Belt (DAB)" were originally Naga ancestral lands, wrongfully transferred during British rule “for administrative conveniences without consulting the Nagas.” The NSCN further alleged that successive governments in Assam have “insidiously encouraged” the settlement of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in these regions to cement control over the disputed territory.

“In the name of evicting the encroachments by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants (IBI), the Assam Government has double-crossed the Nagaland government… by permanently stationing Assam police in the so-called ‘Disturb Area Belt’,” the NSCN alleged, adding that “the status quo has been clearly violated.”

The outfit did not hold back in its criticism of the Nagaland government either, accusing it of apathy and ineffective responses. “The general Naga public should seriously question the Nagaland Government as to how visits of its politician only when situation flares up and then leaving the border areas unattended helps in the defence and protection of Naga ancestral lands,” the NSCN stated.

The group slammed the current deployment priorities of Nagaland’s security forces, pointing out that “all personnel of Nagaland police, Nagaland Home guards, etc. are competitively vying to get posted in commercial town areas where they can enrich themselves at the expense of Naga economy.”

It called on the state to instead bolster border security by recruiting more personnel, including police, home guards, and village guards, to “defend our people and lands.” The NSCN also took aim at the state's internal policing priorities, claiming that Nagaland is “more focused and geared up on creating more specialized teams (SOT, STF, etc.) to suppress and fight its own Naga people” rather than securing its borders.

The NSCN went on to raise a provocative question: “Is the Nagaland government trying to exist only as an online Digital State without geographical land?”

Calling for a “paradigm shift” in policy, the NSCN urged the state to take proactive steps to defend ancestral Naga territories and set a precedent for future leadership. It attributed the current crisis to “policy paralysis” and a legacy of neglect by successive political parties.

The statement also served as a clarion call to Naga civil society, urging the people to hold their political groups accountable. “The Naga political groups must not shy away from their responsibility of defending our ancestral lands, and not only solicit tax or contributions. Nagas should seriously ponder as what kind of a Nation do we aspire to be, if our People are separated from our lands.”

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