6-hour bandh in Nagaland to protest over amended Citizenship Act

Kohima, Dec 14: After massive agitation and violence in Assam, the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) on Saturday has called a 6-hour strike to protest against the amended Citizenship Act. The bandh has been begun from 6 am today.

According to PTI report, the NSF in its statement said, "Pursuant to the resolution adopted in the Emergency Executive Council Meeting of NSF, held on Friday at the Federation's Headquarter, it was unanimously decided to call for a six-hour total bandh in all the Naga inhabited areas, starting from 6 am to 12 noon on December 14."

NSF told to PTI that the bandh has been called to express the resentment of the Naga people against the passing of the contentious CAB in the Parliament, much against the interests and the sentiments of the Indigenous people in the North-East states.

As per reports, the NSF has also directed all its Manipur, Assam and Nagaland's federating units and subordinate bodies to take up all necessary measures to ensure that the total bandh is carried out successfully in their respective jurisdictions.

According to the PTI report, no untoward incident has been reported so far from the Naga inhabited areas where the shutdown began at 6 am, they said. The sudden shutdown, announced by the NSF on Friday to express resentment of the Naga population against the law, will continue till 12 pm.

NSF vice president Dievi Yano condemned the amended Citizenship Act, saying it did not take into account the sentiments of the indigenous people of the Northeast. "The NSF totally resents the injustice done by the central government and we will never support the amended Citizenship Act, which is the latest weapon of the Centre to divide the Northeastern people into concessional lines," he told to PTI.

However, the organisation had also made sure that bandh shouldn't hamper the peace, hence, they have excluded some people from the proposed total bandh they are- healthcare professionals on duty, students appearing for the examination, media professionals and marriage parties to be provided with the wedding card.