The Naga Hoho on Monday expressed ‘astonishment’ over reports that a petition has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Centre and the Nagaland government to take ‘appropriate steps for the protection of life and liberty, properties and other fundamental rights of non-Nagas’ living in Dimapur following the ‘imposition’ of the Inner Line Permit (ILP).
Strong reactions are also pouring in from various organizations against the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the apex court even as the State Government was likely to hold consultations with the advocate general before taking steps to address the matter.
A press statement from the Naga Hoho questioned the motive of the petitioner, one Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a BJP leader, and questioned ‘what actually prompted him to go to the extent of filing a petition in the Supreme Court’.
“If he has any apprehension on the ILP issue, the matter should have been addressed to the Government of Nagaland or any other appropriate forum to clear his doubts rather than going to the Court of law. This clearly shows that he has some malafide intention to malign the Nagas which cannot be easily absolved,” the Naga Hoho said in its statement.
Notably, a section of the national media has stated that the petitioner had challenged certain sections of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 which gives unbridled power to a State to prescribe ILP.
Leave a comment