Naga Club has confessed on Sunday that it entrusted youths to demolish the structure of the Naga Club building in the early hours of Saturday. It further explained that its members were not miscreants, but ‘bonafide owner of the land and building’ and therefore ‘the question of vandalizing public property or criminal trespass by unknown miscreants as alleged by the NSF does not arise.’ Rather, Naga Club said that it was the Naga Students’ Federation that was unlawfully and forcefully occupying the Naga Club Building.
The club therefore declared that the FIR filed by NSF was ‘malicious, baseless, misconceived and misleading’ and that the present issue between the club and the federation is a civil issue and should be tried and decided by a Civil Court.
In its letter addressed to the Officer-In-Charge, North Police Station, Kohima, the Naga Club presented its version of the history of the issue and what let to Saturday’s events and requested the OC to ignore the case ‘inorder to allow the matter to be resolved in an appropriate court of law or before an appropriate forum.’ The letter was signed by Kuolachalie Seyie, the club’s president and K Gwanilo Himb, secretary.
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
Chronological order of events as stated by Naga Club in its letter dated 28 May 2023
1.Naga Club was established in the year 1918.
2. Land where building stands was donated by Kohima Village to Naga Club. The building was built with the purpose to unite the Nagas without borders by providing free accommodation and facilities to the Nagas coming from the remotest regions of the Naga inhabited areas so as to get to know each other better and to cooperate as brothers and sisters.
3. On 4 April 1983, then president of NSF requested for the utilization of the Naga Club building as their office.
4. On 7 April 1983, it was agreed that NSF shall be tenant of the Naga Club Building for a monthly rent of Rs.500/-. However, excepting for the first month (April 1983) no proper rent has been paid by NSF to the Naga Club thus far. It may be noted that during the life time of Vilavor Liegise, the then general Secretary of the club whenever demand for rent was made, a mere Rs.5O/- & Rs.100/- were paid citing that students’ body did not have money.
5. In 2017/18, when Krurovi Peseyie was elected president of the club, NSF refused to have meeting with his team citing that their meeting with the Naga Club would legitimize and recognize the Naga Club.
6. In 2018 when Naga Club observes centenary. NSF obstructed the erection of the centenary monolith at the Naga Club Building site by mobilizing innocent school and college students against the Naga Club who were unaware of the actual story. The monolith later erected at Jotsoma on 29-11-2018 near the tomb of Zasibeito Nagi, the first martyr to die for the Naga political cause.
7. On November 2020 and 20 October 2021, club wrote to NSF to have a meeting regarding the Naga Club Building. However, the NSF never turned up neither did they pay the rent.
8. On 12 September 2022, Naga Club served eviction notice to the NSF.
9. On 11 February 2023, Kohima Village Council, the traditional land owners who donated the plot, came heavily on NSF for converting the Naga Club building and plot into a commercial establishment and by collecting rents from various tenants behind the back of the Naga Club.
10. On 6 March 2023, Naga Club served another vacation notice to the NSF.
11. On 19 May 2023, club wrote to the Deputy Commissioner, Kohima on the subject “Clarification on Naga Club plot of land near Old Secretariat Complex, Kohima”.
12. In early May 2023, some of the occupants of the Naga Club Building vacated and those empty houses and rooms were demolished. However, since the place is in the middle of the town and heavy machinery/vehicle is required to dispose the debris, it was decided that in order to avoid public inconvenience the same shall be removed in the early hours of 27 May 2023.
13. Some youths were entrusted to dispose the debris of the already demolished building in the early hours of 27 May 2023. The Naga Club also entrusted the youths to demolish those shops and establishments who did not vacate the building despite eviction notice being served upon them so that the debris shall be removed on the same day without creating public inconvenience.
Read more: Police arrests JCB driver allegedly involved in destruction of NSF office
