Eastern Sumis rally for exclusion from Frontier Naga Territory

June 30, 2023 6 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 30

Two days after the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization (ENPO) announced formation of Frontier Naga Territory for the six districts under Eastern Nagaland; a rally was organized by the Sumi inhabitants of Kiphire and Shamator districts under the aegis of Eastern Sümi Hoho at Seyochung town demanding exclusion of Eastern Sumi territory from the purview of the new arrangement.

The Sumi inhabitants of Kiphire and Shamator districts are unhappy that the ENPO has projected Eastern Nagaland as belonging only to the seven tribes comprising Sangtam, Yimchunger, Chang, Phom, Khiamniungan, Thikir and Konyak while excluding Sumi tribe, which also claims to be one of the major tribes in Kiphire district with Sangtam and Yimchunger.

It is now demanding that all Sumi inhabited area under the two districts of Eastern Nagaland be placed under the Nagaland state administration and not under the recently accepted arrangement of Frontier Naga Territory.

The rally which began at the public ground with a brief programme saw hundreds of Sumi people from Kiphire and Shamator area in attendance, it is learnt. The people later marched to the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Seyochung and handed over a memorandum addressed to Nagaland Chief Minister.

Placards which read ‘we will live under Nagaland state administration,’ ‘our land and territory and population shall not exist with ENPO,’ ‘we demand Eastern Sumi territory, population census and electoral be merged with Zunheboto district which is the immediate district with land continuity,’ ‘Our right to live is our choice,’ etc were displayed during the rally.

According to the memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister, the Eastern Sümi Hoho reiterated the Eastern Sumi public resolution dated 25th October 2022 at Nikiye village to continue to exist politically, economically, and administratively with present state of Nagaland in the event of any negotiated solution is made between GoI and ENPO.

It demanded exclusion of Eastern Sumi territory, population census, and electrical roll from the purview of the demand or negotiation or solution/settlement that may take place between GoI and ENPO and to merge the Sumi areas/villages under Kiphire district to Zunheboto district Nagaland which is the immediate district with land continuity.

“The right to life and personal liberty is a fundamental right guaranteed to all the citizens of India. Our choice is to be respected and honoured,” the memorandum asserted.

Eastern Sümi Hoho general secretary, Bothuka speaking to The Morung Express said since the ENPO began talks for Frontier Nagaland and leading to the present arrangement; the Eastern Sumis has been excluded from all the talks and negotiations. “We don’t know what kind of arrangement they have made, we were not made privy to any of it,” the general secretary said.

“Therefore whatever solution they are getting, we are happy for them but we don’t want to be a part of them,” Bothuka said. He also informed that more than a thousand people from all walks of life participated in the rally on Thursday.

The Eastern Sümi Hoho, in their 2019 memorandum to the then Governor RN Ravi, has maintained that Sumi tribe’s presence in Eastern Nagaland since time immemorial is not only historical but encompass both political and social scenario from the time the region was Un Administered Area, and continued under the Tuensang Frontier Division of the then North Eastern Frontier Area (NEFA1945-1956) administration, Naga Hills Tuensang Area [NHTA (Tuensang district) 1957-1962], under Tuensang district (from the formation of Nagaland State in 1963) and till date.