Special Correspondent
Ukhrul, June 2:
The United Naga Council (UNC), in a decisive move to safeguard the historical, political, and territorial rights of the Naga people, has endorsed a 48-hour office picketing across all Naga Hill Districts beginning June 2, 2025. This protest aligns with the directive of the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) and is aimed at strongly opposing the construction of the Indo-Myanmar border fencing and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR), both of which pose a grave threat to Naga identity, unity, and ancestral land.
This collective stand was unanimously reaffirmed during the Presidential Council Meeting held on March 26, 2025, and formally adopted in the Council Assembly of the UNC under Resolution No. 2 dated May 30, 2025. The UNC views these moves by the Indian government as deliberate attempts to divide and alienate the Nagas by drawing arbitrary borders across their traditional territories, undermining centuries of historical, social, and cultural ties.
The UNC calls upon all district apex bodies and Tribe Hoho Presidents to enforce and support this democratic expression without fear or favour. The participation of every responsible Naga citizen is crucial to sending a resounding message: that the Nagas will not remain silent spectators in the face of political oppression and forced disintegration.
Meanwhile, The All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), has also announced a 48-hour office picketing across all Naga Hill Districts starting June 2, 2025, against the ongoing construction of the Indo-Myanmar border fencing and the unilateral scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR).
In a press release issued by ANSAM President Th. Angteshang Maring and General Secretary Isaac Charenamei, the student body condemned the Government of India’s (GoI) “indifferent and aggressive” approach to forcibly demarcate and seal the Naga homeland. The Association termed the move undemocratic and repressive, warning that it will only worsen the humanitarian crisis in the region.
ANSAM reiterated that the fencing cuts through ancestral Naga territories and tears apart familial and cultural ties across the so-called international boundary. The Association emphasized that sealing the border and abolishing the FMR are unacceptable and will not address any real issues but will instead deepen the divide and escalate tensions.
The resolution to launch this phase of democratic agitation was adopted at the Presidential Council meeting held on May 12, 2025, and reaffirmed during the office bearers meeting on May 26, 2025.
Calling upon all its constituent units and subordinate bodies, ANSAM urged strict enforcement of the picketing to safeguard the integrity of Naga land and people. The Association also issued a stern warning to individuals, contractors, transporters, and agencies involved in facilitating the fencing project, demanding immediate cessation of all related activities.
Should any untoward incident arise, ANSAM made it clear that the responsibility will rest squarely on the Government of India and the Government of Manipur.