The Hornbill festival, the biggest festival of 16 tribes of Nagaland, has been called off due to very low turnout at the festival ground at Kohima as people protest killing of 14 villagers by the 21 Para Special forces of the Army.
Many believe that the biggest force behind the boycott was the Naga Hoho, the most influential civil society in Nagaland. But Naga Hoho president Dr H.K. Zhimomi told THE WEEK, “We have not issued any instruction to tribes to call off the festival. But as the entire Naga community is in a state of mourning, people have decided to boycott themselves. They are in no mood to celebrate the biggest festival of the people.”
On Tuesday, Zhimomi led a delegation to Mon district where 14 people died in the firing last Sunday. It was the first visit by the fact-finding team of the Naga Hoho to the place where curfew has been imposed. The locals had also set ablaze the camp of Assam Rifles though Assam Rifles were not present during the operation.
The deceased belong to influential Konyak tribal group. Zhimomi refused to reveal what action they were going to take after visiting the spot. “We will sit down and hold meetings among ourselves. As of now, I think we have come to the conclusion that AFSPA must go. But whether we would start a movement or not would be decided in our executive body meeting,” he said.
The situation in Mon district improved on Tuesday with shops opening for the first time since the incident.
Zhimomi said that the state government cannot shirk its responsibilities. “The district is beyond their control as there was hardly any police presence. In that sense, the state government has also to share the blame. But since they have acted swiftly and decided to hold an SIT probe, I think we need to discuss with them before holding them guilty,” said Zhimomi.
Rising People’s Party (RPP), a newly constituted political party in Nagaland, has spelt out its demands for the state government. It has asked all 60 MLAs in the Nagaland state assembly to declare the killings as “murder by the Indian Army”.
“High Court or Supreme Court judges should head the inquiry committee and army officials must be tried in the civil court,” the party stated.
RPP was the first organisation which asked people to withdraw from the Hornbill festival which started on December 1.