‘Muivah visit has nothing to do with Nagalim’

AIZAWL, June 12:  The Naga Students' Union, spearheading the blockade of Manipur since early April, Saturday claimed that NSCN (IM) general secretary Th Muivah's visit to Somdal, his native village in Manipur's Ukhrul district, did not have any connection with the outfit's demand for 'Greater Nagalim'.
"We ask the government of India whether everybody has the right to visit his or her native village. What is the law which prohibits Muivah from visiting his ancestral village?" a four-member NSF delegation led by its adviser Elu Nadang told reporters here today.
The Naga student leaders also alleged that while the media blamed them for the Manipur blockade, they should also know that the Manipur government had created 'obstacles' for the Nagas living in the state.
"The world should know that two Naga students were brutally gunned down by the Manipur Rifles," they said referring to the May 6 incident at the check gate at Mao on the Manipur-Nagaland border.
They said that normalcy should return and the two neighbouring states of Nagaland and Manipur should find an amicable solution to the current impasse.
The NSF leaders came here at the request of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the Mizo apex student body to mediate between the two student communities.
The MZP leaders said that they would try their best to broker understanding between the two student communities.
"We informed the Naga student leaders that their current blockade has created severe hardship for Mizos living in Manipur," a MZP leader said. The blockade was to protest against elections to six autonomous district councils. (PTI)

NSF leaders meet Chidambaram, Sushma

KOHIMA, June 12: A delegation of the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi and urged him to direct Manipur to withdraw forces from the Naga-inhabitated areas.
The NSF delegation, led by its president Mutsikhoyo Yhobu, yesterday urged the Home Minister to issue necessary directives to the Manipur government to immediately withdraw the Manipur Armed Police personnel from the Naga inhabited areas of the neighbouring state and revoke the arrest warrants issued against some Naga leaders.
While apprising the minister about the prevailing situation, the student leaders put the onus on the government of Manipur and the Centre to solve the problem.
Chidambaram asked them to lift the restriction of movement of Manipur registration vehicles as early as possible, Federation leaders said adding the Home Minister assured the delegation that he was personally monitoring the situation and would do whatever was necessary to resolve the present crisis.
NSF imposed an indefinite blockade of Manipur-bound vehicles in Naga inhabited areas on May 4 after Manipur police personnel denied entry to a group of student leaders the previous day at inter-state Mao gate.
It demanded an apology from Chief Minister Ibobi Singh and revoking of Section 144 of CrPC and armed police forces from Naga areas of Manipur.
The student leaders also called on Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj at her office chamber, who also appealed to the federation to consider calling off the ongoing agitation, sources said.
After receiving 'a letter of regret' from Manipur chief secretary, the NSF had recently hinted that it might consider relaxing of the blockade in a short period since many organisations has appealed to call off the agitation.
The Manipur government had issued arrest warrants against the presidents of the All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and United Naga Council (UNC), Manipur for imposing indefinite economic blockade on two highways connecting the state for past two months, resulting in an acute shortage of essentials. (PTI)